Red
by DeadHallow
Summary: A new Joker has arrived in Wonderland, a small 8 year old girl that Alice has nicknamed "Red". Strange thing is, she isn't anything like the other two. She's sweet, kind, and full of innocence. How will Wonderland react to the newest Joker?
1. Prologue

Prologue

It was just a normal day in Wonderland. Julius was working. Nightmare was avoiding Gray, who was trying to get Nightmare to do his work for once. Blood was in his office while the twins were arguing with Elliot. Boris was chasing Pierce and Gowland was "playing" the violin while everyone in the park ran away in fear. Vivaldi was ordering beheadings left and right. Peter was of course stalking Alice, and Ace was lost… again. Everything was as it should be, until "she" appeared.

The two Jokers were in the prison, standing in front of one of the empty prison cells. The two were completely different, yet still shared the same face. White Joker, as Alice had nicknamed him, was calm and polite, while Black Joker, also nicknamed by Alice, was rude and loudmouthed. It's amazing that the two were able to get along, most of the time. This particular day was different. They had been fighting all morning over absolutely nothing. I guess it was expected of them. How could you expect two completely different people to get along all the time?

Black's voice was loud enough to alert nearly every prisoner in the prison, while White's calm voice could barely be heard over Black shouting every profanity anyone had ever heard of. Nobody even knew what they were fighting about. Nobody was brave enough to ask. But the fighting stopped when a bright light appeared in between the Jokers. Their eyes grew wide as the light turned into a shape of a person. Then the light disappeared, leaving a small girl behind.

The girl was very young, only about 8 years old. Her hair was red and the style was similar to the Jokers. She also had the same wine red eye. It wasn't certain if she only had one for her hair covered half of her face. She had a white short sleeved button up shirt with a black vest and a black and red checkered mini skirt. She also wore a hat and boots similar to Black Joker and had a pair of black gloves and a black choker and wore a pair of black and white striped thigh high socks.

The girl looked up at the two Jokers and popped the cherry lollipop she had out of her mouth and said, "Hello! My name's Joker!"


	2. Chapter 1: Joker 3

Chapter 1: Joker #3

The little girl slowly stood up and looked at the two men in front of her. She didn't have a clue where she was or where she came from. Other than her name, she didn't even know who she was. She put her lollipop back in her mouth and waited for one of them to speak. White opened his mouth, but still said nothing. Realizing they weren't going to say anything, she decided to speak.

"Um, where am I?" The girl asked. White finally snapped out of it and spoke.

"You're in Joker Prison little miss." He said, but still looked incredibly confused. She looked around and realized that what he said was true, but it wasn't like any prison she'd seen before. All the prisoners were staring at her through weird animal masks and the ground was covered in broken toys. She was a little scared by now and turned back to the two Jokers.

"How did I get here?" She asked quietly. That's when Black decided to speak up.

"How the f*** should we know? ! Where did you even come from? !" He shouted. The girl flinched slightly at the sound of his voice.

"I-I don't know. Other than my name, I don't know who I am either." She said timidly.

"You said your name was Joker correct?" White asked the girl. She nodded slowly.

"Well, my name is also Joker, as is his." He said, referring to Black. Before she could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallways.

The three turned their heads to see a girl with dirty blonde hair and turquoise eyes walking towards them. When she saw the little girl, she immediately stopped.

"White, Black, who is this?" She asked.

"My name's Joker!" The girl said as she skipped over to her.

She looked surprised and said, "Three Jokers? Well, I call the other two Black and White to tell them apart, so how about I call you… Red?" She finally said, her eyes landing on the red lollipop in the girl's hand.

"Okay! What's your name nice lady?" Red asked.

"My name is Alice. It's nice to meet you." She said, smiling.

"When did she get here?" Alice asked, turning her attention to the other Jokers.

White shrugged and said, "She got here only a few minutes ago. We don't even know where she came from."

Alice knelt down next to Red and looked her in the eyes. "Do you have any idea where you came from?" She asked sweetly.

Red shook her head and said, "I don't have a clue. All I know is that my name is Joker." Suddenly, Alice took her hand and placed it on Red's chest. Her eyes went wide with surprise and she gasped.

"This is… weird." She said as she pulled her hand away.

"What?" Black asked.

"She doesn't have a clock, or a heart for that matter. I don't hear anything." She said, turning back to them. White came over to Red and knelt down before placing an ear to her chest.

"She's right. I don't hear a thing." He said. The three of them looked at each other in shock, while Red just stood there completely confused. 'Was I supposed to have something there? Why would I have a clock there anyway? And what's a heart?' Red thought to herself.

"Is there something wrong with me?" Red asked quietly.

"N-no! Nothing's wrong with you! You're just a bit different is all." Alice reassured her.

"Nothing's wrong? ! She doesn't have a f***ing clock or a heart! How the f*** is she even alive? !" Black shouted. Red's eyes started to water at the harshness of his voice and she stepped back. Red had only known Black for about five minutes and was already terrified of him.

"Black! Stop it! You're scaring her!" Alice yelled at Black as she rushed over to Red.

"I'm going to show her around Wonderland. You two can stay here and figure out what you're going to do about this." She said to the Jokers as she picked Red up and carried her away, leaving the two Jokers behind.

Alice had taken Red out of the prison and they were now standing in the middle of the circus.

"Where are we Alice?" Red asked her.

"This is the Joker Circus. White runs the circus, while Black runs the prison." She said and then added, "How would you like to see the Amusement Park Red?" Red nodded excitedly. She had never been to one before, at least she thought she hadn't. She really wished that she could remember.

Alice carried Red to the entrance and started looking around for someone. The Amusement Park was huge and filled with people, all of them faceless. Alice had already explained the role holders and the faceless to Red on the way there, so Red was not surprised to see them.

"Hmm, I wonder where Boris is." She mumbled. "Right here Alice~!" Somebody said behind them. Alice jumped and turned around to see the pink haired cat.

"Who've you got there Alice?" Boris asked, looking at Red.

"Boris, meet Red. Red, this is Boris." Alice said.

"Nice to meet you Red! Are you an outsider like Alice?" Boris asked.

"We don't know. She doesn't have a clock or a heart. She just randomly showed up in the Joker Prison. Nobody knows where she came from." Alice said, setting Red down on her feet.

"Joker Prison? That would explain the outfit. What are you going to do with her?" Boris asked.

Alice sighed and said, "As much I hate to admit it, she should probably live with the Jokers." Red cringed slightly. She didn't like the idea of living with Black.

"The Jokers? You can't trust them to look after a kid can you?" Boris asked, looking at Alice like she had lost her mind.

"I know, but she did claim that her name was Joker, so she must belong with them." Alice said regretfully.

"I guess, but if Red ever wants to stay somewhere else, I'm sure Gowland wouldn't mind having her here." Boris said.

"Now Red, wanna have some fun?"

Boris showed Red around the park and took her on a few rides. Alice wouldn't let him take her on anything big, so they were pretty limited, but she still had fun. Red had already taken a liking to Boris. He wasn't mean to her like Black and he was really fun to be around. Red wouldn't mind living here, but Alice was probably right. As terrible as it sounded, Red must live with the Jokers, at least until they figure out where she came from.

The three of them were sitting on a park bench when Gowland started walking toward the, holding the dreaded violin.

"Well hello miss Alice! Who's the little one?" Gowland asked.

"Nice to see you Gowland, this is Red." Alice said.

"Would you like to hear a song Red?" Gowland asked. Before shecould respond, Alice spoke up.

"Um, maybe another time Gowland, I have to get Red home." She said quickly, trying save Red from going deaf.

"Boris, would you like to go with us?" She asked Boris, who quickly nodded.

"Uh sure Alice! I'll be back later old man!" He said and picked Red up before running away with Alice following behind.

Boris and Alice finally stopped running when they got to the Circus Forest.

"That was close! We almost had to listen to the old man's awful music." Boris said. 'Was it really that bad?' Red thought.

"Here Alice, I'd go with you to the Circus, but I really can't stand those Jokers." Boris said, handing Red to Alice.

"I understand Boris. I'll bring Red to visit again soon." She said. Suddenly, they heard a rustle in the bushes. They turned their heads toward it and Pierce popped out.

"Alice~! Who's the little girl? She's so cute chu~!" Pierce said.

Alice giggled and said, "Her name is Red. Red, this is Pierce." Red looked at Pierce and giggled.

"Hi Pierce!" She said happily.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. C'mon rat, better run before I eat you!" Boris said, pulling a fork and knife out of nowhere and running after Pierce.

Alice sighed before saying, "There they go again. Let's go Red, we should get back."

Red had fallen asleep in Alice's arms by the time they had gotten back to the circus and was snoring softly in her sleep.

"White?" Alice called, stepping into the circus tent. The Jester stepped out from the shadows and walked over to her.

"Good to see you brought her. I was beginning to think you weren't coming back." He said with a smirk.

"Why wouldn't I? She is your responsibility after all." Alice said.

"What make us f***ing responsible for her? !" Black yelled from the mask. Red stirred slightly in her sleep and Alice quickly quieted Black.

"Be quiet Black! You'll wake her up! And her name is Joker, and she appeared in your prison. Therefore, you two have to take care of her until we can figure out how to get her home." I retorted.

"I'm not wasting my f***ing time-" Black started, but was cut off by White.

"Alice is right Black. She is our responsibility. Now Alice, I'll take her off your hands." White said, holding out his arms. Alice reluctantly passed her on to White.

"I'll be back to check on her later." Alice said before exiting the tent. She would much rather have Red live with her at the tower. She didn't trust the Jokers at all.

Red opened her eyes and saw that she wasn't with Alice anymore. She was now floating in a strange grayish purple fog.

"Well hello Red." Red jumped slightly and turned around to see a strange man with gray hair, hovering a few feet in front of her.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Nightmare, a dream demon." He said. Suddenly, two other people appeared at her side. She instantly recognized them as the Jokers.

"What the f*** are we doing here? !" Black yelled at Nightmare.

"Joker, you shouldn't use such language around Red." White said, glaring at Black.

"Now Nightmare, why have you brought us here?" White asked.

"I wanted to explain where little Red came from." Nightmare started.

"She was created purely from the differences between you two." He said to the Jokers. "Basically, she is everything that you two are not." Nightmare said.

"But why don't I have a clock?" Red asked.

"That I cannot answer, for even I don't know. I admit that it is quite strange." Nightmare said.

"Well if you two don't mind, I'd like to speak to Red alone." He said as the Jokers disappeared.

"Red, I must warn you. Not everyone in Wonderland will take too kindly to you. The Jokers aren't exactly well liked here. So, stay with Alice for the time being and you should be okay. Do you have any questions Red?" He asked me. Honestly, Red had at least a hundred of them, but instead she just shook her head no. She was sure they'll all be answered in time.

"Alright, I'll see you again soon Red, but now you must wake up." He said and the entire world crumbled away.


	3. Chapter 2: An Injured Red

Chapter 2: An Injured Red

Red woke up in a room she didn't recognize. All the furniture was black and the walls were painted gray. It was very plain, one dresser, a desk, and of course the bed which Red was lying in. Red sat up and looked down, realizing she wasn't wearing her usual outfit, but instead a dark red nightgown. Her clothes were now sitting neatly folded at the end of the bed. She got out of bed and quickly changed into her clothes. Once she was dressed, she opened the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. Judging from the gray brick walls, she guessed that she was in the prison. Turning her head, she saw the Jokers at the end of the hallway. She slowly walked towards them, not exactly wanting to talk to Black, especially without Alice.

"Good morning Red!" White said cheerfully.

"Um, good morning. Where's Alice?" Red asked.

"She said she'd be back later, but until then it's just the three of us!" White said.

"Yeah, just the three of us, what fun." Black said sarcastically.

"Now Joker, you should be nicer to Red. She is one of us after all." White said and stuck his hand out to Red.

"Come with me Red, I'll show you around the circus." He said and Red took his hand as the prison faded away.

The circus was so crowded with people that Red had to hold onto White's hand to avoid getting lost in the crowd. White had led her into a tent, which was thankfully empty for the show didn't start for another hour. White left her in the middle of the tent and promised to return quickly. He said he had to make sure everything was ready for when the show started. Red stood there and waited patiently for him to return, when she heard giggling and turned around. Two children dressed in jester costumes were entering the tent and stopped to look at her.

"Hi!" She said, waving to the children. The two ran over to her excitedly.

"Are you a new Joker?" They asked.

Red nodded and said, "Yep, my name's Red!" The two children looked at each other and jumped up and down excitedly.

"You wanna play with us Red?" They asked at the same time.

"I'm supposed to wait for White to come back, but I guess I can if we stay in the tent."Red said. They grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to the ground.

"Yay! Sit here, we'll be right back!" The boy said and they ran out of the tent. While she waited for them to return, she pulled another cherry lollipop out from her pocket, for she always had one with her. The two returned quickly, and they were holding several shiny objects. When they came closer, Red realized they were knives.

"Red, do you see that target over there?" The girl asked, pointing to a giant red and yellow target that was propped up against the tent wall. Red nodded and she continued.

"Have you ever used throwing knives before?" She asked and Red shook her head no.

"Here we'll show you!" The boy said as he placed a knife in Red's hand.

"Watch us!" They said. The girl pulled her arm back and threw it, hitting the target straight on. Red tried to copy what she had done, but it hit the target wrong and the knife bounced back, hitting her shoulder.

"Ow!" She exclaimed, grabbing onto her now bleeding arm.

"It's okay Red! It just takes practice!" They said as they handed her another knife.

"What are you two doing? !" Someone shouted from across the tent. All three of them turned their heads to see White walking towards them.

"We were just playin with Red!" The two said at once. White pulled Red's arm out and took the knife away before looking at the wound.

Sighing, he said, "You two just go and prepare for the show. Red, let's get this taken care of." He said and the circus once again disappeared into the prison.

"What happened to the brat?" Black asked, eyeing Red's arm.

"The jester children decided to "play" with her." White said with annoyance in his voice.

"Anyway, I have a show to get back to. Take care of her Joker." He said before walking off.

"Oh I'll take care of her alright." Black said with a smirk, causing Red's eyes to widen in fear.

White turned around and said, "There had better not be a single scratch on her when I return Joker." Black just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, come on you little brat." Black said as he pulled Red away by her good arm.

After her arm had been bandaged, Red was walking behind Black as he made the rounds around the prison. All the prisoners eyed her suspiciously as she walked by them.

Then Red heard one of them whisper, "Hey, come here little girl." Red glanced back at Black, who was already way ahead of her and walked back toward the cell. Black had warned her to stay away from the prisoners, but curiosity had gotten the best of her. Red kneeled down next to the bars and looked at the strange man. She couldn't see his face because it was covered by one of those masks. He just stared at her for a few seconds then the man suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled forward. Her head smashed against the bars as he pulled her and she let out a shriek. When he heard her, Black immediately turned around and ran over. He pulled out his whip and struck the man's arm. The prisoner let out a yelp and Red fell backwards and was lifted up by Black.

"I deal with your a** later!" Black yelled at the prisoner and carried Red away.

As Black was carrying Red away from the prisoners while also yelling at her for going near them, a familiar blonde girl came around the corner.

"Alice~!" Red exclaimed happily. She walked over to them and Black handed Red to her. She smiled, but her face froze when she saw Red's bandaged arm.

"What happened to her? !" Alice asked/yelled at Black.

"Blame Joker for that one, he left her alone and the jester children decided to play with her." Black said.

Alice sighed and said, "I'm taking her to meet the others. We'll be back later."

Alice brought Red to the Hatter Mansion and were standing in front of the gate. Although Alice wasn't too thrilled about seeing Blood, she thought Red would like to meet the twins, considering they were closer to her age.

"Now where are the twins?" She thought aloud.

"Alice! You've come to visit!" They heard as Elliot came out from behind the trees.

"Elliot, it's nice to see you. I'd like you to meet Red." She said, setting Red on her feet. Elliot looked at Red curiously before a smile formed on his face.

"Hi Elliot~!" Red said happily. "It's nice to meet you Red. Where did she come from Alice?" Elliot asked.

"Not sure, she appeared in Joker Prison and doesn't have a clue who she is, other than the fact her name is Joker." Alice said.

"She's a Joker? Are you sure it's a good idea to hang around her?" Elliot asked, his smile disappearing.

"She's not like the Jokers Elliot. Trust me." She said quickly.

"Well if you say so. C'mon she should meet Blood." Elliot said and opened the gate.

The three of them walked down a long hallway before Elliot stopped at one of the doors.

He knocked loudly and said, "Blood! Alice has come to visit!" The door opened and Blood walked out.

"Well it's nice to see you again Alice. And I see you've brought someone." He said, looking down at Red.

"Hi! My name's Red!" She said cheerfully.

"Hello little Red, my name is Blood Dupre." The man said politely. Blood and Elliot started talking to Alice while shooting the occasional glance at Red and Red heard her name being mentioned several times. Red eventually got bored and wandered off down the hallway.

As she walked, Red heard two voices coming around the corner. She peeked around the corner and saw two twin boys, only a few years older than her.

"Hello~!" Red said and the boys immediately stopped.

"Who are you?" They both asked at the same time.

"My name's Red! Alice brought me here!" She said and their faces lit up when she mentioned Alice.

"Do you wanna play Red? Please?" They asked.

Red nodded and said, "Sure!"

The twins brought Red to their room. She was scared at the sight of all the weapons, but the twins didn't notice.

"Wait here Red! We wanna show you are treasures!" They said as they led Red over to the couch before they ran off. They quickly returned in minutes carry armfuls of odd objects. They dumped them on the table and Red looked them over. They were all different kinds of weapons, knives, axes, grenades, and some things Red didn't even know what they were.

"This is our favorite Red!" They said, holding up a big, shiny knife.

"We tried to test it out on the lady, but boss and blondie chickie rabbit interrupted. Now we wanna test it out on you!" They said excitedly.

"What? !" Red yelled and tried to run away, but they had grabbed her by the arms and held her down, despite her kicking and screaming. Dee brought the knife to Red's throat and gently pressed it into her skin. She felt a small drop of blood run down her neck and she let out a shriek as tears started to fall down her face.

The door burst open to reveal Alice, Blood, and Elliot, who had heard her screaming.

"Dee, Dum, what do you think you're doing? !" Alice yelled as she ran across the room and grabbed Red.

"Quick Elliot, get some bandages!" Alice shouted and Elliot obeyed.

"Red sweetie, are you okay?" Alice asked. Red nodded, but tears still spilled out of her eyes. Elliot quickly returned and Alice wrapped the bandages around her neck. The cut wasn't very big, but it hurt.

"I think we should probably go home now." Alice said as she waved goodbye to Elliot and Blood, and glared at the twins, who had no idea what they did wrong.

"I was going to take you to the Clock Tower today too, but I think you've had enough for the day." Alice said as we entered the Circus forest. Red merely nodded, too tired to give an answer.

"Miss Alice and little Red, you've finally returned." Alice turned around to see White was standing behind them.

"Now what has happened to poor little Red?" White asked, putting a hand to Red's throat.

"The Bloody Twins." Alice said simply. There was a flash of anger on White's face, but it was quickly replaced with his usual smile.

"Well, little Red must be tired, let's go back to the circus shall we?" White said. Alice gently kissed Red's forehead and handed her to White.

White took Red, who had fallen asleep, back to the prison, where Black was waiting.

"What the hell happened to her this time?" Black asked, eyeing her new bandages.

"The Bloody Twins. I swear this girl is prone to injuries." White said as he opened Red's bedroom door.

Black followed White into her bedroom and said, "Why are we even putting up with her? All this is just a pain in the a**!" White laid Red down on the bed and turned back to his counterpart.

"I put up with you Joker, and I must say, I find Red much less annoying." White said smugly. Black just huffed angrily and stomped off, leaving White behind. White snapped his fingers, and Red's outfit changed into the red nightgown she had worn before.

"Goodnight little Red." White whispered as he shut the door behind him.

Red opened her eyes and saw that she was once again in Nightmare's realm and he was right in front of her.

"Hmm, it seems the people of Wonderland have taken a liking to you easier than I had thought, almost as if you were an outsider." Nightmare said thoughtfully.

"What's an outsider Nightmare?" Red asked. "Someone who is not from here, like Alice." He answered. 'So what am I then?' Red thought.

"I don't know Red. This is much more confusing than anything I've ever dealt with." Nightmare said. 'Did I say that out loud?'

"No, I can read your thoughts Red." Nightmare said with a laugh.

"But I am concerned at those injuries of yours." Nightmare said, turning serious.

"Oh, the Jester children and the Bloody Twins wanted to play with me. I'm okay though." Red said quickly, not wanting him to worry.

Nightmare sighed and said, "Red, you must be careful. This world is dangerous." Red was about to tell him that she would be, but the world started to disappear once more.

"It's time for you to wake up Red. I'll see you later." He said before everything vanished.


	4. Chapter 3: Heart Castle

Chapter 3: Heart Castle

Red moaned as she rolled over and opened her eyes. Her neck and arm still hurt from yesterday, so she wasn't feeling so great. Nevertheless, she got up and changed out of her red nightgown, which she still had no idea how she got into, anyway.

Walking out of her room, Red heard arguing at the end of the hallway. She looked to see Black, White, Alice, and a man she had never seen before. He had a lizard tattoo on his neck and had a lot of… knives.

"Red is living with us and that's final." White said calmly, although his face was filled with anger.

"You two aren't capable of taking care of a child!" The blue haired man yelled back.

"Gray, calm down!" Alice told the blue haired man.

"You want her? Take her!" Black exclaimed, earning a glare from White.

"Red is a Joker, therefore she lives with us." White stated coldly.

"He's right Gray, she's a Joker. Even if she doesn't act like the Jokers, she is still one of them." Alice said regretfully.

"This isn't over!" Gray yelled before stomping off and Alice ran after him. Black scowled and when turned back to White, he noticed Red's presence.

"Err, Joker." Black said, pointing in her direction. White turned around and his face froze.

"Oh, err, hello Red. I didn't see you there." White said, not sure how long she'd been there.

"Who was that?" Red asked, referring to the man whose name was apparently Gray.

"Oh don't worry about him. He's just trying to bother us." White said, his smile returning.

"I would've let him take the brat." Black grumbled. Even though Red was used to it, it still hurt that he didn't like her.

"You really hate me don't you?" She asked sadly. Before Black respond with a "F*** yes!", White spoke up.

"Don't take it personally Red, Joker doesn't like anyone. Besides, if he really hated you, he would've killed you even if I told him not to." White said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Black glared at White and shouted, "What the f*** are you talking about? ! Of course I hate that b****! Everything was perfectly fine until she f***ing showed up! Not to mention she's annoying as hell!" At that point White covered her ears as Black continued to yell, even though she could still hear most of what he was saying. Luckily, she's only eight, so she had no idea what they meant. Black finally stopped shouting and stomped of down the hall. Once Black was out of sight White finally took his hands away.

"White? What's a *Beeeeep*?" Red asked, not having the slightest idea that those were swears.

"Uh, nothing." White said quickly.

He noticed the confusion in her expression and said, "Just don't ever say that okay?" I just nodded, still confused.

"Well then what's a *Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep*?" She asked with complete innocence.

White slapped his forehead and grumbled, "God damn you, Joker."

White was busy preparing for another show and Alice hadn't come back since this morning. Since Red really didn't want to see Black, she was wandering around the circus forest. White had told her to stay in the prison, but after this morning, she didn't want to be anywhere near Black.

She wasn't really headed anywhere. She just felt like exploring. Suddenly, she heard a rustle in the bushes beside her. Red thought it was just Pierce again, but an unfamiliar man fell out and bumped into her. She stumbled back and the man caught her.

"Whoa! Sorry, didn't see you there!" He said.

"It's okay. Who are you anyway?" Red asked.

"I'm Ace, a knight from heart castle. What's your name?" Ace asked.

"My name's Joker, but you can call me Red!" Red said happily.

Ace looked surprised and said, "You're the new Joker? I heard about you, but I thought you would be bigger… and a guy." He said, looking Red over.

"Anyways, do you know how to get to the castle?" He asked.

"No, I haven't been to the castle yet." Red said.

"Hmm, well then would you like to come with me? I'm sure I'll find it soon!" Ace said with a laugh.

"Okay!"

Ace lead little Red through the forest in hopes of finding the castle, but it had already gotten dark and they still hadn't found a thing.

"I guess we'll be camping out tonight." Ace said. Red turned around to see he had already set up a tent.

"Um where did you get that?" She asked.

"I never leave home without it!" Ace said with a grin. Wait. Where was he keeping it?

Red had fallen asleep and was lying on the opposite side of Ace. Ace just sat and watched her. He found her quite interesting, and maybe even liked her, just a little bit though. Curiosity got the best of him and he made his way over to her. He laid his head on her chest, wondering if maybe, just maybe, she had a heartbeat. His eyes went wide when not only did he not here a heartbeat, he didn't hear a clock either.

"Curiouser and Curiouser…"

Red sat up and stretched, yawning loudly. She looked to her right to see that Ace was awake, and for some reason staring at her.

"It's about time you woke up! C'mon, we should get going!" Ace said and pulled her out of the tent. Red sat on the ground and began pulling on her shoes. By the time she had turned around, the tent was already gone and Ace was waiting for her. He grabbed her hand and hurriedly pulled her away in a random direction.

Surprisingly, they found the castle, but only after finding two other territories first. The Hatters were not pleased. The castle was huge, and covered in red hearts. When we got there, a man with white hair, red eyes, and rabbit ears was ordering some faceless soldiers around. He stopped yelling when he saw Red.

"Ace, who is that?" He growled, pointing at her.

"This is the new Joker everyone's heard about! Her name's Red." Ace said, pushing her forward.

"H-hello." Red said timidly. This guy really didn't seem all that friendly to her.

"Why would you bring _that_ here?" He said, referring to Red.

"Haha! Don't be so mean Peter! I was just showing her the castle!" Ace said and pulled her inside.

"Don't worry about him. He doesn't like anyone except Alice." Ace said as he led her into a room. The room was large and mostly empty, except for a few pieces of expensive looking furniture, and a large throne on a balcony. Sitting in the throne, was a beautiful woman with purple hair and wearing a crown on her head.

"Who is this you have brought us Ace?" The woman asked.

"This is Red, the new Joker." Ace said.

"Hmm, although she is a Joker, she is very cute. I suppose there is no harm in allowing her here. You may call us Vivaldi, Red." The woman said.

Vivaldi had insisted that Red stayed for tea, and she couldn't dream of refusing. Both Ace and Peter were there, with Peter sitting as far away from her as possible.

"I must say, you seem nothing like the Jokers, except for your choice of clothes." Vivaldi said.

"Like them or not, she's still a filthy Joker." Peter spat.

"Peter White! You will be polite to our guest! We are sorry dear, Peter just isn't very friendly." Vivaldi said.

"It's okay, I'm used to it." Red said. At least he doesn't use words that she don't understand like Black.

"What do you mean by that dear?" Vivaldi asked.

"Black is mean to me too. White says he doesn't really hate me, but I' not sure if I believe him." I said sadly.

"Why do you still live with those vermin? You are more than welcome to stay at the castle with us my dear." Vivaldi said, getting up and placing a hand on Red's shoulder.

"Because Peter is right, even if I don't act like them, I'm still a Joker." She said.

Vivaldi frowned but said, "Come with me dear, I have something to show you."

Vivaldi led her to a door and said, "This is our bedroom Red." She pushed open the door and Red followed her inside. Her eyes lit up at all the cute stuffed animals.

"You like them?" Vivaldi asked. Red nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, we would like you to have one. This one perhaps?" She asked, holding up a light blue stuffed cat.

Red took the cat from her happily and said, "Thank you so much Vivaldi!"

The queen giggled and said, "Of course dear Red. Even if you are a Joker, we find you to be very a nice girl. Peter hasn't got the slightest idea what he's thinking."

It eventually turned night and Red decided to stay until morning. Although Red didn't know it, the Jokers were pissed. She had been gone for two or three time periods and the Jokers didn't have a clue where she was. Red realized this and swore to herself that she would return to the circus first thing in the morning.

Peter had reluctantly led her to a guest room, but not without shooting her a few dirty looks. Red changed into a dark blue nightgown a maid had given her and got into bed. She pulled the covers over her head and fell asleep almost immediately.


	5. Chapter 4: Seeing Red

Chapter 4: Seeing Red

First off, I would like to thank all of you who reviewed! It really means a lot, and I would also like to say that I'm sorry that I haven't updated in awhile. I've been gone on vacation where I had **NO INTERNET ACCESS. **It's sad really. Anyways, on with the story~!

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><p>Red opened her eyes slowly and saw that it was morning. She sat up and yawned, still clutching the stuffed cat which she had named "Leo". She got out of bed and quickly changed into her normal outfit when she heard a knock at the door. Red opened it to see a very nervous maid.<p>

"Um, Miss Red, the queen has asked me to bring you to breakfast." She said.

"Okay~!" Red replied and followed her down the hallway.

The maid led her to a large dining room, where only Vivaldi was seated. Peter had refused to come, knowing that Red would be there, and Ace had gotten lost along the way. She motioned for Red to sit down next to her and she quickly obeyed. The table was full of every breakfast food she could ever imagine, some she had never even seen before.

"Good morning Red. Did you sleep well?" Vivaldi asked.

"Oh yes, and thank you for letting me stay here." Red replied.

"Think nothing of it! Now please, help yourself." She said.

Red smiled at her and grabbed a muffin. Although she didn't really eat all that much, Red couldn't resist sweet things, which is why she always carries a lollipop around with her.

Red didn't stay long after breakfast, for she had to get home quickly. Vivaldi had ordered Peter to lead her back to the Circus, which he was pissed about. They had just gotten out of the maze when Peter stopped and turned to me with hatred in his eyes. There wasn't anybody around, not even a card soldier.

"I don't know what the queen sees in you, but I certainly don't see it. All you are is a nuisance that has taken the love of my dear Alice." He said and pulled out a watch that instantly turned into a gun. Red's eyes widened in fear as he pointed it at her head. She backed up, which resulted in her tripping over a root. Peter stood over Red with the gun still pointed at her. Tears started pooling in her eyes and she crawled backward into a tree. She wanted to scream, to call out for help, but she couldn't get out anything other than a small squeak. Peter put his finger on the trigger and she closed her eyes shut. Red waited for the click of the gun, but instead she heard a loud yell.

"Peter! What are you doing? !" Red opened her eyes to see Alice running over to her.

"Alice!" She exclaimed as she picked me up in her arms. She walked over to Peter and delivered a hard punch to his face.

"If you ever try to hurt Red again I swear I will kill you Peter!" She screamed before stomping off in anger, leaving Peter passed out on the ground.

Alice brought Red back to the Circus and they peeked into a nearby tent, where we saw White anxiously ordering the workers.

"You two check the Hatter territory! You go to the Clock Tower. You three search the Amusement Park! You five look at the Heart Castle! The rest of you search the forest!" He shouted and the workers ran off.

"Um, exactly how long have you been gone?" Alice asked, looking worriedly at Red.

"About two or three time periods." Red answered sheepishly.

Alice set her down and said, "I have a feeling this going to be ugly, so I'm going to let you handle this. I'll be back when and if they let you leave the Circus again."

Alice gave Red a goodbye hug and ran off back to the tower. Red couldn't say that she blamed her. She wanted to do the same thing. Taking a deep breath, Red walked inside. White had his back turned to her, grumbling, "When I find that girl…"

Red slowly reached up and pulled on his sleeve. He whipped around, about to yell at whoever wasn't searching for her. A wave of relief washed over him, but was quickly replaced by anger.

"Red, where have you been?" He asked through gritted teeth. Although he sounded calm, she could see anger in his eye.

"Err, Ace found me and took me into the forest, but he got us lost." She said, not looking at him.

"I thought I told you to stay in the prison." He said, narrowing his eye.

"Well, I err, um-" Red started but was cut off by Black yelling from the belt.

"Why the f*** would you run off like that? ! We've been looking everywhere for you!" He yelled. Suddenly, the circus vanished and they now stood in the prison. Black was now right in front of her, his face red with anger.

"Well? You gonna answer me or what? !" He demanded.

"You were looking for me? I thought you hated me!" She exclaimed.

"Of course I f***ing hate you!" He shouted back.

"Then why were you looking for me?" Red asked. Black didn't answer, instead he growled and stomped off again, cursing under his breath.

"I told you he doesn't hate you. But it does surprise me that he was so worried about your disappearance." White said with an amused smile. Red smiled back and let out a yawn.

"You must be tired Red." White said and led Red into her bedroom. Suddenly he snapped his fingers and her outfit had changed to the red nightgown.

"So that's why I always wake up wearing this." Red mumbled.

"Goodnight little Red." White said as he shut the door behind him. Red climbed into bed and pulling Leo to her chest, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Red bolted upward in the middle of the night. Tears were streaming down her face and she was shaking violently. She had a nightmare that Peter was chasing her through the Heart Castle maze trying to kill her. He had her cornered when she finally woke up.

She jumped out of bed and ran to the door. When she was out in the hallway, she stood in front of two doors. One was White's bedroom, and the other was Black's. She reached out and wrapped her hand around the doorknob. She turned it slowly and stepped inside. Creeping slowly across the room, she was careful not to make any noise.

She placed a hand on the sleeping figure and whispered, "Black?" He moved slightly and opened his eye.

"I had a nightmare. Can I sleep with you?" Red asked with a slight blush, but it couldn't be seen in the dark. He mumbled a "Whatever" and she climbed into his bed. Red squeezed Leo tightly and tried to fall asleep once again.

Black grumbled as he sat up. Rubbing his head, he turned and looked to his right. He saw Red sleeping soundly, clutching Leo. "When did she…? Oh yeah." He said as he got up. He couldn't help but stare. 'She's so… cute.' He thought, and then stopped himself. 'What am I thinking? She's just a stupid girl.' He thought, although he knew he didn't mean it.

Red opened her eyes and sat up. Yawning, she was slightly confused when she saw that she wasn't in her bedroom anymore, but then she remembered last night. Grabbing Leo off the bed, Red left Black's room and returned to her own. She quickly got dressed and went to find either White or Black. She wasn't sure where they'd be, but she never really had to look that hard. Red started walking down the long prison hallways when she got to where Black kept the prisoners. Peeking around the corner, she saw that Black was walking down the hallway with his back to her. She thought about turning around and finding White, but instead she skipped forward happily towards Black. Black turned around at the sound of her footsteps and she stopped.

"White wants you at the circus." He said and turned back around. Red frowned. He wasn't always this cold. Sure, he yelled at her a lot, but he never ignored her. Sighing, she walked away and went to find White.

Red wandered around the circus, not sure where he would be. She was about to enter the tent when she heard two voices that made her blood run cold.

"Look! It's Red!" She turned around slowly to see the Bloody Twins running towards her at full speed. She backed up to a tree and sank down, covering herself with her arms.

"Aw, Red's scared of us. Don't worry! We won't hurt you! We're sorry about last time, really." She moved her hands and looked up at the two boys. They didn't have any weapons on them, and they looked worried.

"Please Red, we just want to play!" She flinched at the word "play". She looked around, hoping White would show up and save her.

"We promise we won't hurt you Red! Please?" They asked once more.

"…Okay." She said finally, realizing White wasn't going to show up any time soon.

"Yay! C'mon Red!" They said as they pulled her away.

The twins had convinced Red to play a game of hide and seek. Now Dum and Red were hiding up in a tree while Dee was looking for them.

"Red?" Dum said and she turned to him.

"What is it?" Red asked.

"Are you still afraid of us?" He asked with a sad look in his eyes.

"I guess not, but I am a little nervous." Red replied. Red was lying of course. She was terrified of them. She was still expecting them to pull out a knife on her again.

"We're really sorry Red…" He started but Red hushed him.

"Dee's coming." She said and they both got quiet. He passed the tree and they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Found ya!" Dee shouted as he popped up between them.

The three of them were laughing as they headed back to the circus. Red had long since forgiven them and was no longer afraid. She even considered them friends. Red saw White standing by the circus tent and she ran up to him with the twins following behind her.

"White!" She said as the three of them reached him. He turned around and his eye widened before he grabbed Red and pushed her behind him.

"What are you two doing with Red?" He growled.

"White! It's okay!" Red said as she came out from behind him and joined the twins.

"Yeah! We won't hurt Red!" They said as they both grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.

"We looooove Red!" They said. Red giggled and hugged them back.

White sighed and said, "Fine, but if I find one scratch on her, you two are dead."


	6. Chapter 5: Healing

Chapter 5: Healing

**Again, I am sorry for the lateness. My internet was out for several days and I had a severe case of writers block. But all is well again and the next chapter should be out much faster~!**

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><p>The twins and Red were playing tag and she, unfortunately, was it. She had been chasing Dee through the forest for quite awhile but had lost sight of him. Both of them were much faster than her. Red stopped running for a minute to catch her breath and sat down by a tree. Just as she was about to get up and continue chasing them, a drop of water hit her head and she realized it was starting to rain.<p>

"Dee? Dum? Where are you? !" Red called as she stood up. It started raining harder and she ducked underneath the shade of the tree. It didn't completely protect her, but it was better than nothing.

"Dee? ! Dum? ! Where are you? !" Red shouted, louder this time. The sky got darker and by now it was pouring rain.

"Dee! Dum! White! Black! Anybody!" Red shouted at the top of her lungs, but it was drowned out by the rain.

"Red! Red! Where are you? !" The twins shouted over the rain. They hadn't realized Red was missing until it was too late. Now they were terrified, both for Red, and for themselves after White finds out.

"Where is Red? !" White shouted as he came out from the circus tent and noticed the twins were by themselves. The twins jumped slightly, realizing they were screwed.

"We don't know! We were playing in the forest and we lost her!" They said and continued shouting for Red. White growled in frustration and ran off into the forest to find her.

Red was soaked by now and shivering. Her lips were already turning blue and she could barely hear the rain over her teeth chattering. She still occasionally called out a name in hopes that someone would hear her, but it was useless. She was sitting on the ground with her arms wrapped around her legs trying to keep herself warm. Tears were falling down her face and she was terrified. It was dark, it was raining, and she was alone. Just when she thought this couldn't get any worse, she felt dizzy and fell over onto the ground. Right before she fell unconscious, she heard someone in the distance calling her name.

Red tried to open her eyes but it was as if they were glued shut. She was shivering even though she was covered with several blankets. She didn't even have the strength to sit up. Red let out a quiet whimper and she felt a hand touch her forehead.

"How is she?" She heard a voice ask. It sounded like White.

"She's still burning up." The person whose hand was on her forehead said. It must've been Black.

"How could you let those f***ing brats play with her? !" He yelled. Red felt a little guilty now. It wasn't really their fault.

"Well you can be sure it will never happen again." White said.

"You're f***ing right it won't!" Black shouted back and Red flinched. Every little sound made her head hurt, and she wasn't even strong enough to ask him to be quiet. Red moaned softly and rolled onto her side.

"Red? Are you awake?" White asked as he walked over to her. She forced her eye open just enough so that he could see that she was awake. White placed a hand on her back and helped her sit up.

"Thank god…" White mumbled.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Red tried to answer, but instead went into a coughing fit.

"I'll take that as a no." Black said. White looked at the clock on the wall and put a hand to his forehead.

"I guess I have to go. I have a show to start soon. Will you be okay Red?" White asked. She tried to answer, but again she just started coughing, so she just nodded. White didn't look the least bit convinced, but he didn't have much of a choice.

After White left, Red was still coughing violently. Red wasn't sure if Black actually cared about her, or was just sick of the noise, but either way he went and got her some cough medicine. It looked terrible, but anything was better than the cough. He poured the sticky red liquid into a spoon and put it to her lips. She cringed slightly but opened up anyway. He shoved the spoon into her mouth and she tried to swallow the nasty liquid. She managed to get it down, but it left her gagging. It tasted like liquid chalk with the slightest hint of cherry. At least she wasn't coughing any more.

Surprisingly, Black stayed with Red until she fell back asleep, which didn't take all that long. She was asleep in about 15 minutes. But it was still strange for him to do. She knew he didn't hate her, but does this mean he actually likes her? She didn't even know what to think.

Red's eyes opened slightly when she heard nervous yelling. Through her eyelashes, she could see two small red and blue blurs. She grumbled and sat up, annoyed that someone dared to interrupt her sleep. Opening her eyes wider, she saw the two blurs happened to be Dee and Dum. Upon seeing her, they ran towards Red and jumped onto the bed, landing in front of her.

"We're sorry Red!" They both shouted and clung to her arms. She was still groggy from her illness and the fact that she had just woken up.

"Sorry about what?" Red mumbled.

"That we lost you! We didn't mean to!" They shouted again.

"It's not your fault. I'm not mad." She said tiredly.

"B-but…" They started but were interrupted by the door opening. Red turned to see Alice walking in.

"Dee, Dum, leave Red alone. She needs her rest." She said to the twins, who reluctantly got off her.

"Red, I'm so glad you're okay!" She said and wrapped her arms around her.

"I was so worried when the twins told me what happened!" She said.

"I'm alright, really Alice." Red mumbled.

"Good," She started and pulled her arms away. "Now you should rest Red. Come on Dee-"

She was then also cut off by the door opening, well slamming.

"Who said you two could see her? !" Black shouted at the twins as he entered.

"We wanted to make sure little sis was okay!" They shouted.

"It's your fault she's sick in the first place!" Black shouted back.

"All of you shut up!" Alice yelled. "If you want to fight, take it outside!" She shouted at them and pushed all three out the door.

"I'll be back to check on you later Red." She said before closing the door behind her.

After they had left, Red was still tired, yet she had no desire to go back to sleep. She had slept the entire day, and even though she couldn't really do anything else, it seemed like a waste just to sleep more. Instead, she just laid on her back and stared up at ceiling. It still wasn't very productive, but it was better than just sleeping the day away.

Out of boredom, Red pulled yet another a cherry lollipop out of her pocket and stuck it in her mouth. Red hopes that she gets better soon, because all this laying around is really dull. She was feeling a little better, but she was still in no shape to get up and play with the twins.

Red's eyes were barely open by now, yet she was forcing them to stay open. She was only seeing through her eyelashes and they threatened to shut completely. Then her door opened softly, revealing Black. Red didn't say anything, mostly because she was too exhausted to even open her mouth. He couldn't even tell that she was awake and he walked over to her. He looked down and noticed she was still wearing her normal clothes. He then snapped his fingers, like White always did, and her outfit somehow turned into her red nightgown again and her outfit was lying neatly folded at the end of her bed. He stared down at her again and for a fraction of a second, Red could've sworn she saw his mouth twitch into a smile.


	7. Chapter 6: Knightmares

Chapter 6: Knightmares

**Hello again~! See, I told you the next chapter would be out faster! I'm trying to get a new one out every week at least, but knowing me that probably won't happen. Oh well, hope you like it~!**

**P.S. You may have noticed I changed Red's age. Why? Cuz I felt like it. And I apologize if Gray or the Jokers are a little OOC. I haven't played any of the games yet. I've only read the manga and skimmed through some of the routes online.**

It had been at least a week and Red was almost completely well again. Alice and the twins been stopping by constantly, although the twins were always getting kicked out by the Jokers. But today, Alice came by with Boris. Boris wanted to take me to the Amusement Park again, but Alice said that Red still wasn't well enough, so she decided that they should go to the Clock Tower instead. Boris wasn't thrilled, but agreed anyway.

Red rode on Boris's back all the way to the tower, with Alice trailing behind. When they reached the tower, they were greeted by a man with long blue hair tied in ponytail. He was hunched over his desk fixing a clock. And when I say greeted, I mean he looked up for a second and glared at Boris.

He then went back to his work and grumbled, "What are you doing here?"

Boris set Red down and Alice walked into the room.

"You remember the new Joker I've told you about right?" Alice asked the man. He grumbled a 'yes'.

"Well, I thought it was about time you met her." Alice said, grabbing Red's hand. The man looked up again and Alice led her over to him.

"Julius, this is Red." Alice said.

Julius stared at Red with cold eyes before saying, "Alice, you said she doesn't have a clock or a heart correct?" Julius asked and Alice nodded.

"May I see?" He asked. Alice nodded once again and lifted her up onto his desk. Julius hesitantly placed his ear against Red's chest and his eyes filled with disbelief. He jumped back, and ended up knocking a clock off the desk. Before it collided with the ground, a hand came out of nowhere and snatched it up. All of them looked towards the owner of the hand and saw that it was none other than Ace.

"Ace!" Red called happily and jumped off the desk, completely forgetting about Julius's reaction. She wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him a hug. She actually did the same thing to Boris that morning. Red looked up at him and jumped back in surprise. He looked different than usual. He wore a light brown bloody cape over himself and held a small mask in his hand. His sword was painted in fresh, dripping blood.

"A-Ace? W-why are you covered in b-blood?" Red stuttered, stepping back into Boris.

"I'm just doing some work for Julius is all!" He said happily and pulled out a bag from his pocket. The bag itself was also dripping in blood, which terrified Red to think about what was in it. Ace dropped the bag lazily on Julius's desk and headed back towards the door.

"Bye you guys, I'll be back later." He said with a wave and left just as quickly as he came.

Red's eyes were still locked on the bloody sack Ace had left when Julius picked it up off the desk. He pulled it opened and Red felt relief wash over her when he pulled out a clock. A bloody clock, but still just a clock. She was still terrified after seeing Ace, and Julius must've noticed it too.

"Alice, why don't you have her meet Gray and Nightmare?" He suggested.

"Good idea, come on Red." Alice said, grabbing her hand.

The three of them walked down the hallway and stopped when they reached the very end. Alice knocked softly and the door quickly opened. A very familiar man stood in the doorway. It wasn't until Red noticed the knives on his sleeves that she remembered him. That was the man named Gray, who showed up at the prison several weeks ago.

"It's nice to see you again Gray." Alice said politely.

"It's nice to see you too Alice." Gray said as he gestured for them to come inside. The room was huge, and I mean HUGE. Almost everything was a shade of green and decorated with clovers. At the back of the room, a man sat at his desk, hidden in a blanket.

"Nightmare? I brought Red over for a visit." Alice said as she led her over to the man. At the sound of Red's name, he pulled the blanket off of himself and smiled at her.

"Red, it's been awhile. Glad to finally meet you in person." Nightmare said, coming out from behind the desk.

"I'd like you to meet my subordinate, Gray Ringmarc." Nightmare said referring to the blue haired man, earning a confused look from Red.

"Subordaminent?" Red tried to pronounce, but failed.

"My assistant." Nightmare replied.

"Hello Red, Nightmare has told me a lot about you." Gray said.

"Hi Mister Gray~!" She said, looking up at Gray, who was at least twice her size. His eyes went wide and he didn't respond.

"Mister Gray?" She said.

"So…cute." He mumbled.

"What was that Mister Gray?" She asked. He shook his head before replying.

"Oh, nothing!" He said quickly as a blush spread across his face. Alice and Nightmare started laughing, and Red was completely confused. Gray started looking at Red again when he noticed the bandages she still had around her arm and neck.

"Alice, what happened to Red?" Gray asked, still eyeing Red's injuries.

"Yeah Alice, what did happen to her? I didn't even notice those." Boris said.

"Oh, the jester children and the Bloody Twins were "playing" with her, but she's fine. They're probably mostly healed anyway." Alice explained.

"Alice, are you sure it's a good idea for her to live with them? If she lived here, we all could keep a close eye on her." Gray asked, concerned.

"She'll be fine Gray, I promise." Alice reassured, placing a hand on Red's shoulder.

"Alright, but if I see one more injury, I'll make sure she lives elsewhere."

It had turned night while they were still at the tower. Boris had left, but Alice and Red stayed behind. Boris said he could lead them back, but Gray wouldn't let Red out in the dark, so she stayed the night at the tower. Red slept in the room between Gray and Alice, which was just as gloomy as the clockmaker himself. The walls were dark grey and covered with clocks, while the floor was dark blue. After Alice said goodnight, Red changed into a black and white short sleeved nightgown, and got into bed. The room was completely dark, and she wasn't use to sleeping in this room. She didn't even have Leo with her this time. She tried closing her eyes, but the thought of Ace covered in blood was stuck in her head. The ticking of the clocks only reminded her of the bloody clocks Ace had brought. It scared her deeply just to think about where all the blood came from. She pulled a pillow over her head to try to block out the sound, but it could still be heard, but now it didn't even sound like ticking. Instead, it sounded like dripping… dripping blood.

Red threw the covers off of her and ran across the room, throwing the door open. The hallway was just as dark as the guest room, and had just as many clocks. There was a door on each side of the guest room, and one of them belonged to Alice. Not sure which one it was, Red slowly opened the door and peeked inside. Seeing the many stuffed animals all over the room, she assumed it was Alice's. She slowly walked in, only to see a figure hunched over a desk in the back of the room. It was dark, with only a candle lighting the area around the figure, so she couldn't tell who it was. It wasn't until she got closer that she notice the lizard tattoo on the figure's neck.

"Gray?" She said, barely above a whisper. He looked up from his desk with surprise at the sound of her voice.

"Red? What are you doing up?" He asked.

"I couldn't sleep…" Red said quietly. Gray came out from behind his desk and walked over to her.

"Why can't you sleep Red?" He asked while kneeling down so that he was face to face with her.

"I'm scared." She said timidly.

"There's nothing to be afraid of Red. Nothing can hurt you here." Gray said as he hugged her lightly.

"B-but Ace…" Red mumbled. Gray suddenly tensed up at the sound of his name.

"What about Ace?" He asked in a serious tone.

"I-I saw him covered in… blood." Red stuttered. Gray's eyes widened and a flash of anger shot across his face, but he quickly calmed down.

"It's alright Red. Forget about Ace. You're safe, I promise." Gray said as he picked her up and carried her over to his bed. After he set her down, he ran his fingers through her hair and whispered, "Don't worry Red, I'll keep you safe."


	8. Chapter 7: Lost and Found

Chapter 7: Lost and Found

**I am so sorry for the wait T-T. I kept writing and rewriting this chapter over and over again but it just didn't please me. Plus, I procrastinated a lot. Now that this is out of the way, the next one SHOULD be coming out shortly. Also, the first six chapters have been edited and have HOPEFULLY been improved.**

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><p>Red opened her eyes slowly and sat up. Stretching her arms, she looked around the room and saw Gray asleep at his desk. He was probably up all night considering the size of that stack of finished paperwork that had been uncompleted the night before. Red threw her legs over the side of the bed and hopped down softly onto the floor and tiptoed across the room to avoid waking Gray. Once she was out in the hallway, she quickly went into the guest room, which she had been originally sleeping in, and got dressed. After she was done, she left the room and saw that Alice was already waiting for her.<p>

"Are you ready to go Red?" She asked, reaching her hand out to her. Red nodded and took her hand. After telling Julius and Nightmare that she was taking Red home, they headed out.

They hadn't even reached Joker forest when Red got separated from Alice. Red wasn't sure how it happened, but one minute she was right in front of her, and gone the next. Red was scared, for she had never been able to find her way back home before.

"Alice!" She cried, only to be answered with complete silence. Red started walking in a random direction while calling her name, praying that she would hear her. It didn't help that she was still in the Clover Tower's territory, so it was very cold. Red regretted not wearing warmer clothing. She continued on, shouted her name every few minutes, hoping that she would find her way home on her own, or at least find a warmer territory.

After she had been walking for at least fifteen minutes, she noticed that the weather had changed and it was now incredibly hot. From what she remembered, that meant that Red was in the Amusement Park's territory. Suddenly, she heard a twig snap underneath a bush. Curious, she wandered over to the bush and got down onto the ground. Right before she stuck her head under, a hand grabbed her around the ankle. She let out a surprised gasp as she was pulled under. Red was about to start screaming for help when a hand clasped over her mouth. She looked up and saw that it was only Pierce.

He put a finger to his lips and said, "Shh, the cat'll hear you!" He looked absolutely terrified and was shaking.

"You mean Boris?" Red whispered after he pulled his hand away.

"Yeah! That mean cat is trying to eat me!" He exclaimed.

"Boris wouldn't eat you Pierce, he's just trying to scare you." She said. Pierce seemed to think about that for a moment but was cut off by a hand reaching down and pulling him up by the collar.

Red came out from under the bush to see Boris holding up a very frightened Pierce with a fork in his hand.

"Boris?" She said, confused by the sight.

"Red!" He exclaimed, dropping the poor mouse.

"What are you doing out here all alone? What happened to Alice?" Boris asked.

"Alice was taking me back home but I lost her." She said, suddenly remembering her predicament.

"Hmm, hey! Wanna go to the Amusement Park?" Boris asked enthusiastically.

Red thought about for a minute before saying, "Okay, but only if Pierce can come too." She felt bad for Pierce considering how scared he was.

"Alright, fine. The rat can come too."

Only about five minutes later they were all standing in front of the large Amusement Park gates. Red had completely forgotten about finding Alice by now and was nearly jumping up and down in excitement. This was her first time here without Alice, and even though she loved Alice, she was a little overprotective of her at times.

"C'mon Red!" Boris exclaimed as he grabbed Red by the hand and pulled her inside, with Pierce following behind.

"Since Alice hardly let you ride anything last time, how about we make up for it now?" Boris said.

"Okay~!" Red said excitedly.

"That's the spirit! Now, where should we start?" Boris said, looking around.

"Aha!" Boris exclaimed, pointing to a nearby rollercoaster. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't exactly a little kid's ride either. Red took one look at it and went pale.

"Uh, I don't know…" Red said nervously.

"Aw c'mon! It'll be fun! I promise." Boris said.

"…Fine." Red said reluctantly.

With that, Boris began dragging Red off in the direction of the roller coaster.

"Wait! What about Pierce?" Red asked, looking back at the poor mouse who had been left alone.

"What about him?" Boris asked, hoping that she had forgotten about him.

"Hey Pierce! Aren't you coming too?" Red called.

"Uh, no, it's okay!" Pierce replied, obviously scared of both the cat and the ride.

"Please?" Red pleaded. Pierce sighed and reluctantly joined them.

Although Boris wasn't happy about the mouse tagging along, he ignored it for Red's sake. The three of them were able to skip the long line considering both Boris and Pierce lived there. Soon, all three of them were on the ride, with Red looking nervous and Pierce cowering beside her. Boris just laughed at the two of them and assured Red that it would be alright.

Suddenly, the ride lurched forward and Red gripped the safety bar harder. She had never actually been on a roller coaster before, so she didn't know what to expect. Red shut her eyes tightly as they began to climb.

They had been climbing for so long Red wasn't sure if it would ever stop. She opened her eyes to see that they had finally reached the top. She could see the entire park from up there! Then, she felt it move again, and in a split second, they were falling. Red screamed at the top of her lungs and held onto the safety bar for dear life, but her screams were drowned out by Pierce, who had a death grip on Red. After a few twists and turns, the ride was over.

"So, did you like it?" Boris asked after he had pried Pierce off of her. Red looked up at Boris before jumping up and down and said, "That was awesome!" Boris laughed at her reaction.

"So do you wanna go on another one?" Boris asked. Red was about to respond yes, but she remembered something. Alice.

"I would love to, but I should probably go find Alice now." Red replied.

"You're probably right. She's probably gone back to the circus by now, so I'll just take you there."

Boris and Red headed for the circus and Pierce stayed behind. Boris really didn't want to see the Jokers, but he couldn't let her go alone. He didn't trust the Jokers, well, no one did really, but Red seemed to be doing fine living with them, so he decided to let it go, for now.

They had just gotten to the circus when they heard frantic cries. Red immediately ran towards the sound and Boris decided to head back considering there was no need for him to stick around any longer.

When Red found the source of the sound, it turned out to be Alice. She was standing in front of White with tears running down her face. White was trying to calm her down, having already sent several workers into the forest to search for her, but it was no use. Red suddenly felt guilty for taking so long and hated to see Alice cry, so she immediately rushed over to the two.

"Alice!" Red cried as she ran to her. Alice immediately whipped around to see Red as she wrapped her small arms around her waist.

"Red, I'm so sorry!" Alice said as she lifted Red off the ground. Alice was still crying as she hugged Red tightly.

"Alice, I'm okay! Please don't cry." Red said as she looked up at her with pleading eyes. Alice was like a big sister to Red, so the sight of her crying made her feel terrible.

Alice wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled tiredly.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Alice said, hugging her again.

"Now, how exactly did you find your way back by yourself?" White asked.

"Oh, Boris found me and brought me back! I don't know where he went though…" Red replied, looking around for the pink haired cat. Alice smiled again and set Red down.

"Now that I know you're okay, I should probably be heading back to the tower." Alice said. Right as the words came out of her mouth, the sky turned dark and White chuckled.

"Well Alice, you certainly have perfect timing. But it seems that you'll have to stay here for the night."White said and instantly Alice's face went pale.


	9. Chapter 8: Hatred

Chapter 8: Hatred

**Just to clear some things up, this story was originally written in 1****st**** person, but I recently changed it to 3****rd**** person and I unfortunately missed a few words. So, if you see any mistakes, please tell me and I will fix them as quickly as possible~ Oh, and Red IS eight years old, she was ten, but I changed that as well.**

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><p>Red didn't understand why Alice seemed so nervous. She thought that Alice and the jokers were friends, but now Alice seemed terrified of them. Red didn't know anything about the two Jokers, or just how dangerous they were. And she certainly knew nothing about how often the Jokers had attempted to keep Alice as their prisoner. The only reason Alice had shown up in the prison that day was to change the seasons, and had planned on leaving as soon as possible. Ever since Red had shown up, neither Joker had tried anything, mostly because there was no way they could take care of Red on their own. It also helped that Red had become fond of Alice, and doing something like that would just upset her.<p>

The two of them were now sitting on the floor in Red's bedroom. Neither was particularly tired, so they didn't bother to try and sleep.

"Alice? Are you okay? You look worried." Red asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. It's nothing Red." Alice replied. Red was unconvinced, but didn't question her anymore. After a few moments of silence, Alice spoke up again.

"Red?" Alice said suddenly.

"Hmm? What is it Alice?"

"Red, are you happy here?" Alice asked, looking at her with serious expression.

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" Red asked, confused.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking…" Alice hesitated.

"Thinking what?"

"Thinking… you might be happier living with me at the tower." Alice said, looking away.

"But Alice! I AM happy here! Don't worry about me."

"Well, if you're sure Red…"

Eventually it had turned back to day, and Alice was about to leave. She had managed to go the entire time period without having to be alone with either of the two Jokers, yet she was not able to convince Red to live somewhere else. If she had been able to, Alice would no longer have to keep coming back to the dreaded circus, except to change the seasons of course. On top of that, Alice, Julius, Gray, and Nightmare would be there to keep an eye on her. It would be much better for everyone, but Alice would never force Red to go.

"Goodbye Alice!"

"Goodbye Red, I'll be back soon." Alice said and turned to walk away, but two familiar voices made her stop.

"Hey it's the pretty lady!"

"And Red!"

Red and Alice turned their heads to see Dee and Dum coming their way.

"Red! We wanted to take you to the mansion and play!" The twins said as they reached them.

"Okay, but I'll have to ask White first…"

"Don't worry about that Red. I'll tell him before I leave." Alice said.

"Okay! Thank you Alice!" Red said as they twins took her by the hands and began to lead her away.

"Bye Red! And be Careful!" Alice warned as the three of them disappeared into the woods. Alice sighed and began to walk towards the red and yellow circus tent. She wasn't really thinking when she told Red that she would tell him for her. She didn't really expect anything to happen, she just wasn't all that comfortable being around either of the two Jokers. She stepped into the tent, and to her dismay, it was completely empty except for White, who was standing right in the middle of the tent with his back to her. She approached him cautiously, not making any noise.

"White?" She said when she was only a few feet away.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you Alice." White said as he turned around.

"I-I just wanted to let you know that Red went with the twins to the Hatter Mansion." Alice explained.

White sighed and said, "Why does she even like those two? They've already caused her enough problems."

"Well, they are the only ones close to her age, except for the jester children. She just wants someone to play with. I promise she'll be safe with them." Alice said.

"I guess you're right Alice. I just wish she'd find someone a little less dangerous…"

The twins and Red had made it through the Circus Forest and were now walking up to the large metal gates of the Hatter Mansion.

"Hey! Are you little brats slacking off again? !" The three of them turned to see Elliot stomping towards them.

"Shut up blondie chickie rabbit! We're gonna go and play with Red!" The twins shouted.

"Red?" Elliot questioned and his eyes landed on the little girl he had met only once before.

"Oh, it's you. You still want to play with these brats?" Elliot asked, considering the last time she was there, they nearly slit her throat.

"Stay out of it blondie chickie rabbit!" The twins exclaimed.

"I'm not a rabbit!" Elliot barked.

"You are a rabbit stupid!" The twins shouted back. Red ignored the two and walked over to Elliot.

"I don't care if you're a rabbit or not! I like you Elliot~!" Red said happily looking up at Elliot, but mostly concentrating on his ears. Elliot blushed, obviously embarrassed.

"Hey! Red's ours stupid rabbit!" The twins said, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her back.

"Let's go play Red!" They said as they dragged Red past the gates and up to the mansion.

"Why do they have to walk so fast?" Red moaned as she tried to catch up. She had lost sight of them a few minutes ago, but was sure she was still going in the right direction. It wasn't until she came to a dead end that she realized she was lost. She groaned and started walking back they way she came, peaking into each room along the way in hopes she'd find the twins.

"Now who do we have here?" Red spun around to see a vaguely familiar man with jet back hair standing behind her.

"T-the twins brought me here, but I lost them." Red replied nervously, staring up and the very tall and slightly intimidating man.

"Well, why don't you come with me Red?" Blood offered, holding out his hand. Red took it hesitantly, slightly afraid of this man she knew very little about.

Blood led the girl down the hallway and into his bedroom. It was big, mostly filled with bookshelves and had a couch, coffee table, and a desk in the back of the room. The room was very neat except for the piles of unfinished paperwork were piled on the desk and spilling onto the floor and several empty teacups were sitting on the coffee table.

"Please, have a seat Red." Blood said as he sat down on one end of the couch. Red obeyed and sat down on the opposite end, as far away from the man as possible. They sat in silence for a few moments before Blood spoke up.

"So, you are one of the Jokers correct?" Blood asked, eyeing the girl.

"Yes." Red answered nervously.

"Hmm, Alice has told me a lot about you. You really aren't anything like the other two are you?"

"I-I guess not." Red stammered. Something about his tone was worrying her.

"That may be, but I doubt it will stay that way for long." Blood said, looking at her intently.

"W-what do you mean?" Red asked, scooting farther away.

"You act nothing like them now, but on the inside, you're exactly the same. Soon you will be just like them, and I can't allow that to happen." He said darkly. Before Red could respond, she felt a hand wrap around her throat.

"W-what are you d-doing? !" Red cried. He smiled at her, but his glare showed pure hatred.

"I'm merely getting rid of something that shouldn't be here. Two Jokers was more than enough, but three? I'm afraid that just won't do." Blood said as he tightened his grip on the girl's neck. She could hardly breathe, let alone speak. Tears began to spill from her eyes. This was more than she could take. First the Bloody Twins, then Peter, and now Blood, so many people trying to hurt her, kill her.

Red's eyes began to close, and she thought this might be the end, when Blood's bedroom door opened. Blood released his grip and Red tumbled to the floor. Gasping for breath, Red got off the ground and rushed out of the room, right past a very confused March Hare.

Red ran down the hallways and down the stairs, ignoring the stares and calls of many servants as she ran past. Once she burst out of the mansion, she saw that it had already turned to night once again. She tried to find the front gate, but couldn't see a thing in the dark. In her blinded and hysterical state, she failed to notice the rose garden she had run into. It wasn't until she came into contact with another person and fell backwards that she finally stopped running. Red looked up at the person she had run into, fearing the worst. Luckily, the person happened to be Vivaldi.

"V-Vivaldi?" Red stammered as she got off the ground.

"Red? Dear, are you alright?" Vivaldi asked with a worried expression. Even in the dark, when she couldn't even see the red marks around her neck, or the tears falling down her face, she could still tell something was wrong.

"B-Blood…" Red stuttered. Vivaldi didn't need to hear anymore. Blood had already spoken to her about Red, and it was obvious to Vivaldi that he was not happy about her.

"Come with us to the castle Red. You'll be safe there." Vivaldi said as she grabbed Red's hand. Red obeyed without hesitation and followed Vivaldi out of the rose garden.

The two of them made it to the castle in just a few minutes. Once they were inside, Vivaldi was able to see the marks around her throat and grew very angry.

"I will kill that man! How dare he harm our little Red!" Vivaldi shouted as she led Red down the hallway. She stopped for a moment and yelled an order at one of the servants.

"Prepare a guest room for Red, and be sure that it is as far away from that miserable White's room as possible!" She yelled and Red looked at her curiously.

"Alice told us about what happened, but you can be sure it won't happen again." Vivaldi assured.

The two of them were now sitting in the middle of Vivaldi's room. A maid had brought tea, but Red had denied it. She had stopped crying, but still had a look of deep sadness on her face.

"Red, are you sure you're alright?" Vivaldi asked.

"I'm fine." Red lied. She was far from alright. She had forgiven the twins, forgot about Peter, but Blood was different. The twins didn't know any better, and Peter pretty much hated everybody, except for Alice of course, but something Blood said got to her.

"Soon you will be just like them, and I can't allow that to happen."

What will she be like? What was so terrible about the Jokers? Sure Black was rude and swore an awful lot, but he wasn't really a bad person, and White, he was so nice and never did anything bad. How can they hate them so much?

"Vivaldi?" Red said suddenly.

"Hmm? What is it dear?"

"Why does everybody hate White and Black so much?" Red asked.

"Well, the Jokers have done bad things Red, things that cannot be forgiven. I'm afraid that's all I can really tell you." Vivaldi said sorrowfully.

"So why does everyone hate me too? I didn't do anything wrong." Red said quietly, new tears forming in her eyes.

"Ignorant people like Peter and Blood dislike you only because of what the Jokers did. I can stop Peter, and even Blood from harming you, but there's nothing I can do about their ignorance." Vivaldi said regretfully. Red sighed sadly and Vivaldi placed a hand on her head.

"Forget about them Red. It doesn't matter what they think. Peter and Blood may be too idiotic to see what a nice girl you are, but the rest of us do." Vivaldi said comfortingly. Red smiled slightly and looked back at Vivaldi. Then Red let out a small yawn.

"You're tired Red. I'll have a maid lead you to your room."

Red entered the room and walked over to the bed. A red and white heart covered nightgown was lying on the bed. She quickly changed into it and got under the covers, but she wasn't able to get to sleep as easily as she used to. She couldn't stop thinking about what the Jokers could've done. Every roleholder hated them, and Alice was afraid of them. Red sighed and rolled over. There was no way anyone was going to tell her the truth anytime soon. Red eventually gave up and fell asleep. For now, she would just forget all about it.


	10. Chapter 9: The Invitation

Chapter 9: The Invitation

**Short chapter is short. I apologize for the wait, but now I have a better, faster, more reliable computer that won't crash every ten minutes and destroy my work. So it shouldn't take as long for me to update anymore ^-^**

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><p>Peter paced back and forth across his bedroom floor, thinking about the new Joker, Red. Perhaps he had been too hasty. Trying to kill her only made Alice hate him more. Maybe if Red were to like him, Alice would forgive him. And that was one step closer to love! He had decided. He would befriend Red.<p>

When Red awoke, she immediately told Vivaldi that she had to get back to the Circus. Vivaldi, trusting neither Ace nor Peter, ordered a maid to lead her back. The maid stayed quiet the entire time, and seemed very nervous. Red didn't mind all that much, for she wasn't really in the mood for conversation anyway. All she wanted was to get back home, and planned on staying there for awhile.

Once they entered the Circus, Red thanked the maid, and ran off to find White. She immediately went into the tent, only to find it empty, except for a few of the jester children. She walked over to one of the children and asked if they had seen him.

"Yeah! He left just a few minutes ago. I don't know where he went though…" A little jester girl replied. Red thanked her and left the tent, hoping that he hadn't gone too far.

After at least 20 minutes of searching, Red had given up and sat down by a tree. She wasn't in the mood for a game of hide and seek right now, and decided to just let him find her. Sure enough, a few minutes later, she heard his voice.

"Red! There you are!" Red looked up to see White walking toward her, with his usual smile on his face. Red instantly cheered up and ran over to the Jester.

Red looked up to meet his eyes and White gasped as he knelt down to her level. He placed his hand on her neck, where the red marks had now turned to bruises, and his eye narrowed.

"Who did this?" He asked darkly. Red didn't answer, suddenly afraid of his fierce tone.

"What the hell is going on?" Black asked from the mask on White's waist. Instead of answering, White instead brought the two of them to the prison.

"What is it?" Black asked, now standing in front of them. White lifted Red off the ground and brought her over to Black. He took one look at her and growled.

"Who f***ing did it?" He demanded. Both of them stared at Red expectantly.

"Blood…" Red muttered quietly. The two Jokers shared an angry glance before returning their attention back to Red, who was still in White's arms. Not wanting to frighten Red any further, White remained as calm as possible.

"It's looks like we're going to have to be more careful from now on. For the time being, do not leave the circus alone Red."

A little while later, Red was wandering around the circus. There weren't many people around, for there was a show currently going on. Alice had yet to come back, and Red was feeling bored and lonely. She was actually contemplating going back to the prison when she felt a tug on her shirt. She turned around to see a little white rabbit. The way it was dressed reminded her of Peter White.

"Hello there little Red, I have something for you." The rabbit said held out an envelope to her. Red took it hesitantly, still shocked to see the rabbit.

"It's an invitation to a ball Queen Vivaldi is hosting. I do hope you'll be there, Red." The rabbit said.

"I would like to stay and chat, but I must prepare for the ball." He said and turned away. Red stood there with the invitation still in her hand. She held it up and looked it over. It was plain and white with a red wax seal on it. She was still confused though, who was that rabbit? It dressed like Peter and it even sounded like Peter, but it couldn't have been him. Peter hated Red, or so she thought.

"What's that Red?" Red turned around to see White looking curiously at the envelope in her hand.

"A little white rabbit gave it to me!" Red said.

"A rabbit?" White said as he took the envelope from her hands and inspected it.

"Oh, it's that time again, is it?" White said as he opened the envelope.

"What time is it?" Alice asked as she approached them.

"It seems the queen is hosting a ball soon, and Red has been invited." White explained. Alice groaned. She still remembered the last time the queen held a ball. At least now she and Blood were on better terms.

"Are you and Black going?" Alice asked, hoping that someone else would be able to take Red. Even if Blood and Alice didn't hate each other, she still didn't really want to go.

"No, we aren't exactly welcome at social events like that." White said.

"Not that we'd f***ing want to go anyway." Black spat out from the mask. Alice sighed.

"And if you are planning on taking Red with you, please keep her away from a certain mafia boss…" White warned.

"Why? Did something happen?" Alice asked.

"It seems that he doesn't like Red all that much." White replied, not going into further detail.

"That's all I need to know. Don't worry, I won't let him anywhere near her." Alice said and turned to Red.

"Let's go Red, we still need to get you a dress."

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><p><strong>*Sigh* I don't know why, but I'm just not all that proud of this chapter. Oh well, if you did like it, please review! And if you didn't like it, you have the right to pelt me with rocks.<br>**


	11. Chapter 10: At the Ball

Chapter 10: At the Ball

I'm so sorry I take so long to update! T-T It's getting more difficult for me to come up with ideas, but THIS STORY WILL BE FINISHED! And guess what? I've already got an idea for a sequel~! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

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><p>After doing the final touches to Red's outfit, Alice stepped back and looked at her. She was wearing a red and black mini dress with white ruffles underneath. She also wore a pair of black gloves and a lacy black choker instead of her plain old one. She also wore a pair of black ballet shoes with white knee high socks with red ruffles. And her hair was tied back with a black ribbon.<p>

"You look so adorable!" Alice gushed as she looked her over. Red blushed slightly and smiled. Alice herself was wearing light blue ball gown that went all the way to the floor. It was strapless and was decorated with white roses. She also wore a blue ruffled choker and white heels.

"Are you two ready yet? The ball will be starting soon." White asked from outside the door. Alice sighed and opened the door.

"Yes, we're ready." Alice said as she stepped into the hallway and Red followed.

"About damn time." Black said, annoyed. He thought the entire thing was pointless anyway.

"You look lovely Alice, and so do you Red." White said, ignoring Black's comment.

"Thank you, White. Well, we'll be on our way now. Goodbye, White, Black." Alice said.

"Goodbye, and don't let Red out of your sight!" White warned as the two disappeared from the prison.

The two of them stopped at the tower. Julius, Gray, Nightmare, and Ace were all ready, and waiting for the two of them. Julius was annoyed that he would have to quit his work, Gray was annoyed that Nightmare would have to quit his work, Nightmare was glad he had an excuse not to work, and Ace, well Ace was just happy there was going to be alcohol.

"I can't believe it's time for the ball… again." Julius groaned.

"Cheer up Julius! Last time wasn't so bad." Alice said.

"Yeah, quit being such a downer!" Ace said.

"Let's just get this over with." Julius mumbled and led everyone out the door.

"I'll lead!" Ace volunteered.

"No!" Everyone exclaimed in unison.

About half an hour later, they arrived at the castle. It was crowded, so Red held onto Alice's hand. Every roleholder, minus the Jokers, was already there. Ace immediately dragged Julius off to the nearest source of alcohol, and Nightmare and Gray disappeared into the crowd, leaving Alice and Red alone.

"Let's go find some of our friends, okay?" Alice said and Red nodded with a smile. Red followed as Alice led them through the crowd. Red tried to keep up with her, but she eventually lost her grip on Alice's hand. Soon, she lost sight of Alice through the crowd of people.

"Alice?" Red called, but it was too loud for anyone to hear her. She was so small, nobody noticed her as she tried to push past all the people that surrounded her.

"Alice!" Red called again, still no one heard her. She tried to get out of the crowd, but was knocked down in the process.

"Hey, are you okay?" Red looked up to see Boris and the twins. Boris held out his hand and she gladly took it.

"What happened to Alice?" Boris asked, looking around for her.

"I lost her in the crowd." Red replied.

"Well we can help you find her." Boris said.

"Yeah, we'll find the lady!" The twins agreed.

Alice hurriedly pushed past the crowds of people. She panicked the moment Red had let go of her hand, but by the time she had turned around, she was gone. What if she ran into Blood? Or Peter? Alice felt like she was going to faint. How could she have let her out of her sight? The Jokers had even warned her! Alice was so frantic she failed to notice the man in front of her.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" Alice apologized as she looked up to meet the face of Blood Dupre.

"It's quite all right Alice, but why are you in such a hurry?" Blood asked.

"I lost Red in the crowd! I have to find her!" Alice said as she tried to leave, but Blood held her by the wrist.

"Forget about her. She's just another Joker. Stay with me for awhile, hmm?" Alice glared at Blood and pulled her wrist free.

"Maybe you don't care about her, but I do! She hasn't done a thing wrong, yet you still hate her! Now, I have to go find her before something bad happens to her!" Alice snapped back and hurried away. Blood stood there, confused at what just happened. She really cares about her? After all the Jokers have done to her? Blood sighed. There was just no reasoning with this girl was there?

Peter watched as Alice searched frantically for Red. She was so upset, surely he could help. If he found Red, Alice would certainly be grateful! With that in mind, he also began to search for Red.

Boris and the twins scanned the crowd for Alice but saw nothing. They had been looking for at least 20 minutes now with no luck.

"Maybe the lady is with the Queen!" Dee said.

"Maybe the rabbit got her!" Dum said.

"Fine, you two can go look there, I'll stay here." Boris said. The twins agreed and went off to search for Alice. Red stayed by Boris's side, also looking for Alice, but considering her size, it didn't help that much. Suddenly, she was lifted off the ground by an unknown person. She gasped and turned around to meet the eyes of Peter White.

"There you are! Alice will be so happy I found you!" Peter said and carried the girl away. Boris was so busy looking he hadn't even noticed Peter had taken her.

Red was terrified as the love struck rabbit carried her away. Only a few weeks ago this man had tried to kill her. She didn't have a clue that he was taking her to Alice, just that he was taking her. For all she knew, he was going to kill her! Red was beginning to panic and was shaking with fear. Peter snapped out of his thoughts of Alice and looked down at the girl.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. My dear Alice would be most upset if I did!" Peter said.

"Red!" She looked up and saw Alice rushing toward her. In a matter of seconds she was in Alice's arms. Alice looked up and her eyes widened when she saw who had found Red.

"Peter? !" She exclaimed.

"Yes my darling?" Peter said.

"**You **found Red?" Alice asked, stunned.

"Why of course! You seemed upset, so I had to help!" Alice shook her head. He didn't care about Red at all. He just wanted to get on her good side.

"Well, thank you Peter, but we have somewhere to be." Alice said and walked away, leaving a disappointed Peter behind. That was not the reaction he was hoping for.

Alice led Red over to where Vivaldi was seated and the two took a seat.

"Oh, we are so glad you two could make it! You look so cute Red!" Vivaldi gushed and pulled Red closer to her. Alice and Vivaldi began chatting and giggling, mostly about Red, when they were interrupted by a certain mafia boss. Alice and Vivaldi became silent as they glared at the man, while Red hid behind them. Blood smirked and looked down at the little girl.

"Well, I see you found your precious Red…"


	12. Chapter 11: Tolerance

Chapter 11: Tolerance

Yay! For once it didn't take me more than a month to update! Anyways, I wondering, would you guys like a little JokersxAlice action? (Obviously not Red of course) And also, more information on the sequal is available on my profile! Please tell me if you like the idea!

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><p>Vivaldi was fuming at Blood and Alice was desperately attempting to calm Red down. Words could not describe how terrified Red was, even with Alice and Vivaldi there.<p>

"Get out of our sight! You are not to be anywhere near our little Red!" Vivaldi yelled, furious. Blood's smirk only grew.

"Why? Maybe I just want to talk to her." He said, taking a step forward. Alice immediately held Red closer.

"Blood, stop it. Just leave her alone." Elliot said, coming up behind Blood. Not only was it a really bad idea to start a fight right in the middle of the ball, but not surprisingly, Elliot also had grown fond of Red and would hate for Blood to hurt her.

"Why should I? Just because she's a little girl doesn't make her any less of a Joker. And the Jokers, In case you've forgotten Elliot, are the same people that imprisoned you." Blood said, silencing Elliot. Blood continued. "And are also the same people that have attempted to keep Alice as their prisoner. Did you forget that too?" Red's eyes widened in shock. Was all of this true? Was this why they were hated so much?

Blood still didn't stop, and turned to Alice. "And also hurt many of your friends just to rescue you? What about that? Did that slip your mind?"

"Blood stop it! She doesn't need to hear this!" Alice shouted. Red sat still, frozen in disbelief.

"Why not? Shouldn't she know what those monsters she lives with did? They've hurt almost everyone she cares about." Blood said, watching as Red's face grew paler and paler.

"Hold your tongue insolent fool! We have kept these things from her for a reason!" Vivaldi demanded. Not wanted for Red to hear anymore, Alice started to take her away. Blood attempted to follow, but was held back by Elliot. After giving Blood one lat hateful glare, Vivaldi went after Alice and Red.

The three of them went to the other side of the ballroom, far away from Blood. Alice set Red down and turned to Vivaldi.

"Vivaldi, I know you are supposed to be hosting this ball, but could you watch over Red for a little while? I really should speak to Blood myself." Alice said.

"Of course Alice! We will take good care of our dear Red." Alice smiled and thanked Vivaldi before going after Blood.

Alice had a pretty good idea where Blood had gone off to, considering last time. She walked through the hallways, opening each one of the guestroom doors and poked her head in. When she opened the door at the end of the hall, she saw Blood standing by the window.

"Blood!" Alice yelled, snapping Blood out of his train of thought.

"If you've come to try to get me to adore Red like the rest of the country, I don't want to hear it." Blood said, not even bothering to look at her.

"I'm not asking you to adore her. I just want you to give her a chance! Or at least quit being so cruel to her!" Alice said angrily.

"And why should I?" Blood asked snidely, turning to face her.

"Maybe you've forgotten, but Vivaldi, your own sister, loves her! Maybe you don't care how I feel, but I highly doubt you'd hurt your own sister like that!" Alice argued. Blood turned away again. It seemed what she said actually had some effect.

"My sister loves anything she finds cute. Her mountains of stuffed animals are just as important to her as Red is." Blood said, only increasing Alice's anger.

"You and I both know that isn't true!" Alice retorted.

"Maybe it's not, but that doesn't change what the Jokers did."

"What White and Black did! Red has nothing to do with it! She didn't even know about it until you told her!"

"Well now she knows. And she probably isn't so crazy about them anymore." Blood said with a smirk. Seeing the look on Alice's face, his smirk turned back into a frown.

"Well, I suppose I could attempt to tolerate her…" Blood said reluctantly.

"…really?" Alice asked in disbelief.

"Yes, really."

After the incident with Blood, Red was left very upset, and

nothing Vivaldi could say or do would help. They had desperately tried to keep what the Jokers had done away from her, but Blood had ruined it all. Red just couldn't believe it. She loved Alice, and all of her friends that she had met, but she loved the Jokers too. They were like her older brothers. But, what if everything Blood had said was true?

"Vivi?" Red said, using a nickname she had created, and that Vivaldi adored.

"Yes Red?" Vivaldi replied, dreading what was coming next.

"Was what Blood said true?" Red asked, looking up at her with wide, questioning eyes.

"…yes Red. We are afraid it is. And we are very sorry you had to learn about it this way." Vivaldi said sympathetically. Red looked away for a moment, as if thinking about something, and turned back to Vivaldi.

"I don't want to go back." Red mumbled.

"What was that dear?"

"I don't want to go back to the Circus. They were mean to Alice! I never want to see them again!" Red cried, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. Vivaldi put an arm around Red and pulled her close.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. You can even stay here if you want." Vivaldi offered.

"I wanna live with Alice." Red said, sniffling.

"We're sure she'll be happy to hear that. For now, would you like to sleep here? You seem tired." Vivaldi asked and Red nodded. Vivaldi smiled softly and led Red back to her room.

After she had changed into a nightgown Vivaldi had lent her, Red laid down in Vivaldi's bed, snuggling one of the many stuffed animals. Vivaldi only stayed for a bit, for she was the host of the ball after all. As she exited the room, she met Alice at the door. The two had a lot to discuss.

"…and now she wishes to stay with you." Vivaldi finished. Alice didn't know how to feel about this. She was glad to get Red away from the Jokers, but sad at the same time. Red had gotten very attached to them, but now because of what Blood had said, she was afraid of them.

"I guess she'll live with me at the tower then. I'll go over to break the news to the Jokers tomorrow." Alice said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Vivaldi asked.

"I think so. I mean, if they do anything to me, Red will only hate them more." Alice reasoned.

"We guess you are right." Vivaldi agreed.

"Oh, and another thing, Blood has invited Red and I for tea in the rose garden."


	13. Chapter 12: Choice

Chapter 12: Choice

Red stood in the prison, terrified at what she saw in front of her. It was Alice, locked in one of the prison cells. Her wrists and ankles were chained to the ground, and her neck was chained to the wall, her eyes filled with terror. The other two Jokers stood behind Red, grinning down at their new prisoner. Red turned around to face them with tears brimming in her eyes.

"Let her go!" She cried. They just laughed at her. All the other roleholder's bodies were scattered around them. They had all tried to rescue Alice, but failed. Now all of Red's friends were dead, and Alice was locked away. And it was White and Black that were responsible. The Jokers were responsible. She could deny it all she wanted, but she herself was a Joker. Suddenly, White gripped the top of her head and pushed her down so that she was on her knees. She stared fearfully up at him as he pulled out a gun and put it to her forehead.

"It's been fun, but I'm afraid it's over now. Goodbye, little Red."

Red jumped up instantly to see Alice leaning over her with a worried expression on her face.

"Alice!" Red exclaimed and quickly latched onto her.

"Are you alright Red? Did you have a nightmare?" Alice asked, sitting down on the bed beside her.

"Yeah.." Red replied, looking down. Alice smiled at her softly and ran her fingers through her hair.

"It's going to be alright Red. I promise."

After Alice returned with Red, Gray, Julius, and Nightmare left to go back to the tower, taking Red with them. And after explaining the situation to them, Alice headed over to the Jokers. She was nervous no doubt, but she couldn't exactly put it off. As she approached the circus, she began to walk slower, thinking over what she was going to say to them. Unfortunately, she did not have much time to think, because before she knew it, she was at the Circus. And White was waiting for her.

"Alice? What took so long? And where is Red?" Alice turned around to see White, looking slightly confused. Alice opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Yeah, where the hell is she?" Black asked. Alice had no Idea how to tell them this, but she had to say something.

"That's something I need to talk to you about…" Alice began.

"And what's that Alice?" White asked, looking even more confused.

"I'm sorry but… Red won't be coming back for awhile." Alice finally said, turning away.

"What the f*** are you talking about?" Black said. Before she could answer, both White and Alice were taken to the prison. Black stood in front of her, whip in hand, with murder clear in his eyes.

"Where is she?" Black growled. Alice sighed and turned to him.

"I said she wasn't coming back." Alice said. Black was silent for a moment, and White grabbed Alice's wrist from behind.

"Why? What happened to her? !" He asked, worried, and slightly angry. Alice pulled her wrist away and looked him in the eyes.

"Nothing happened to her. She is perfectly fine. This is of her own decision. She wishes to stay with me at the tower. Whether or not she will come back is up to her." Alice explained. Both White and Black were shocked. Neither of them knew how to react. Alice has expected Black to be happy about this, considering how eager he was to get rid of her in the beginning. White snapped out of it first and replied in a calm manner.

"If that's what she wants, we will not stop her. But let her know, she is always welcome if she wishes to come back." White said, trying to hide the sadness in his voice.

"I will. Now, I need to get back to her. Goodbye." Alice said and began to leave.

"Wait." Black said. Alice stopped and turned around. Black then walked into Red's bedroom to retrieve something. Alice looked at White for an answer, but he just shrugged in response. Black walked back out and tossed something at Alice. She caught it in her hands and looked at it. It was blue stuffed cat with a yellow ribbon around its neck. Alice looked back up at Black curiously.

"Just give it to her okay?" Black said, turning away so she couldn't see his face turning red. Alice smiled slightly.

"Sure, Black."

After leaving the circus, Alice couldn't help but feel bad. No matter how dangerous they may be, or how cold-hearted Black may seem, they both cared about Red. And it was obvious they were both upset by the whole situation. Alice pulled out the stuffed cat and stared at it for awhile.

Alice finally shook the thoughts out of her head. It was the Jokers fault for what they did, and Red was better off living with her. Besides, she's wanted Red to live at the tower since the beginning. She shouldn't feel bad, right?

Alice stepped into the tower and went straight into Julius's office. She knew he was concerned about her going and wanted him to know she was alright. Although she didn't know how much he really cared about Red, she knew Gray was crazy about her. How could he not? She was more adorable than any plushie he could get his hands on. As for Nightmare, he had never seen anything like her before. Someone with neither a heart nor a clock was unheard of. Of course he wanted to keep her safe.

"Julius? I'm back." Alice said as she entered the room. Julius looked up from his work with relief in his eyes.

"I'm guessing it went well?" He said, seeing no tears or noticeable injuries.

"Yes, it went just fine. Do you need anything before I go check on Red?" Alice asked. Julius shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. But you on the other hand should get some rest. You look exhausted." Julius said.

"Will do. Goodnight Julius." Alice said before leaving the room.

"Goodnight." Julius mumbled before returning his attention to his work.

Alice walked into what was now Red's bedroom, only to see that she was sound asleep. She had only gotten a few hours of sleep at the castle due to her nightmares, so she was still very tired. Alice smiled down at the girl before placing the stuffed cat beside her. She quickly kissed her the forehead and began to leave the room.

"Goodnight, Red."


	14. Chapter 13: The End of the Game

Chapter 13: The End of the Game

**Much faster this time! The next chapter would've been uploaded in a few days, but my computer decided to restart itself and delete it. T-T Anyways, would you mind telling me what you think of the sequel of Red by voting in my poll? Thanks, and all information on the sequel is available on my profile as well!**

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><p>Red awoke several hours later. She groggily sat up and noticed something in her arms. She looked down and her eyes grew wide at what she saw. She had been clutching Leo in her arms. But, she could've sworn she had left him in her old bedroom. 'Alice must've brought him here.' She thought about for a second. 'Hmm, White must've given it to Alice. It's not like Black would've.' She thought. She stared at it some more before setting it down and getting up from the bed. She looked around for her clothes when she noticed a stack of neatly folded clothing on her bed. She lifted what was on top first and realized it was not her old outfit. It was a red strapless dress with black lace lining the top and bottom and had three buttons going down the middle. She quickly put it on and pulled on a pair of black and white socks, gloves, and choker similar to her old ones. Then she also put on a pair of black Mary Jane shoes. As soon as she finished, she went looking for Alice.<p>

Red opened the door to Alice's bedroom to see she was already awake and dressed.

"Oh, you look adorable!" Alice said upon seeing her new outfit.

"But, it looks like it's missing something…" Alice said and began to rummage through her drawer. At last she pulled out a simple black bow and put it in her hair.

"There. What do you think?" Alice asked. Red looked in a nearby mirror and touched it lightly. Red smiled. She liked it, a lot more than her old hat. Plus, it was from Alice.

"Thank you Alice!" Red said happily.

"No problem Red. Now, Blood has invited the both of us to a tea party today. Do you want to go? You don't have to if you don't want to." Alice said. Red thought about it for a minute.

"Yeah! But… I thought he hated me." Red said, confused.

"Blood doesn't hate you. He hates the Jokers." Alice said.

"But I AM a Joker." Red argued.

"That may be true, but you have nothing to do with what they did." Alice said with a frown, silencing Red. It was quiet for a moment before Alice sighed.

"But none of it really matters now does it? Come on, let's go to the tea party." Alice said, smiling again. Red smiled back and took Alice's hand, and headed off towards the mansion.

When they reached the mansion gates, Blood was waiting for them. Elliot and the twins were nowhere in sight. Blood greeted the two and motioned for them to follow. Soon they arrived in the rose garden. Red was very surprised to see Vivaldi there.

"Vivi?" Red said, incredibly confused. Vivaldi giggled slightly. Alice then took Red's hand and led her over to where Vivaldi was seated.

"We are glad you could make it Red. Are you feeling better today?" Vivaldi asked. Red nodded.

"Yeah, I like living with Alice!" Red said, looking up at Alice happily. Alice chuckled and patted Red's head.

Blood was nearby, tending to the roses. He didn't really bother listening to their conversation, but he couldn't help but notice the smiles on his sister and Alice's face.

'They really do care for that little girl…'

"Brother, leave those roses for a minute and join us." Vivaldi said. Blood gasped.

"Sister! The girl does not need to know about us being siblings!" Blood exclaimed.

"Oh calm down. She's not going to say anything. Right dear?" Vivaldi said, looking down at Red.

"No, I won't say anything!" Red promised. Blood sighed and continued to tend to the roses.

"All that man ever worries about is the roses. He works so much on them that he can never enjoy them!" Vivaldi exclaimed. Alice giggled at this, but then her face froze. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a vial. It was filled to the top with a blue liquid. Her face was frozen in shock. Only one thought ran through her head. 'What do I do now?'

"Alice? What's wrong?" Red asked with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing Red." Alice reassured with a smile and the three of them continued with their tea party.

Awhile later, after Vivaldi had left, Blood invited Alice up to his bedroom, saying he wished to speak with her. While they were talking, Red decided to pay a visit to the twins. After getting directions from a faceless servant, she headed down the hallway. Soon enough, she found the twin's door and knocked.

The door immediately flew open to reveal the twins. What shocked her was the fact that they were covered in blood.

"Red!" They exclaimed as they pulled her inside.

"Why are you two covered in blood? Are you hurt?" Red questioned with concern.

"No! We're fine. We can't say the same for our toy though…" Dee said, looking at a clock on the floor. Red looked at it curiously.

"Dee, Dum, what is with clocks in this world anyway?" Red asked. She knew one thing, everyone in this world had one, except for her and Alice of course.

"You don't know?" Dum asked. Red shook her head.

"Everyone's got a clock here!" Dee said.

"And when they die, their clock stays behind, and the clock maker's gotta fix them!" Dum finished. Red looked at the clock again.

"So, that was a person? !" Red exclaimed. The twins nodded in unison.

"Yeah, but we better leave before the afterimage shows up." Dee said.

"Right brother, Red wouldn't wanna see that." Dum agreed and they began to lead her away.

"Hey! You two are supposed to be at the gate!" The three of them turned to see Elliot stomping toward them.

"Go away blondie chickie rabbit! We're playing with Red!" Dee shouted.

"You two are supposed to be working, not playing! Besides, Alice was looking for you." Elliot said to Red.

"Oh, well I guess I have to go now. Goodbye you two!" Red said and walked over to Elliot, who began to lead her towards Alice.

Later that day, after the two of them had returned to the tower, Alice was sitting in her bedroom, thinking about the vial. It was finally full after all this time. At first, she had planned on going home the moment it had filled, but now, she really couldn't. If she went home, there would be no one to take care of Red, well except for Gray, Julius, and Nightmare. But Gray and Julius were both workaholics, they would hardly have any time for Red. And Nightmare… well, do I really have to explain that one? The only other person that would be able to care for Red would be Vivaldi. Still, Alice wasn't quite ready to leave Red alone. For now, she would have to stay. Even though she had won the game, she still had to continue to play.


	15. Chapter 14: Returning

Chapter 14: Returning

**Well, I'm glad some of you like the idea for the sequel, but, there are still a few more chapters to go, plus an alternative ending! Remember, the poll is still up, so please vote if you haven't already!  
><strong>

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><p>Red awoke the next morning to discover two pairs of arms wrapped around her. She bolted upward and looked only to realize it was only the bloody twins.<p>

"Dee? Dum? What are you doing here?" Red asked as she attempted to struggle out of their grasp.

"There's a pool party at the Amusement Park today!" Dee explained.

"Yeah, and we wanted you to come!" Dum added. Red thought for a second and shook her head.

"Sorry, but I don't have a swimsuit." Red explained. It was lame excuse, but she didn't want to admit to the fact that she just couldn't swim very well.

"Oh, don't worry about that!" Dee said. Unfortunately, that was the only excuse she could think of.

"Alright, I'll go. Just let me get dressed first!" Red exclaimed and shoved the twins out of her room. She then closed the door and walked over to the dresser. She quickly changed into her usual clothing before joining the twins. As soon as she walked out of her room, she was immediately dragged out of the tower by the overly excited twins.

Just a little while later, the three of them arrived at the park. They quickly located Gowland, Pierce, and Boris at the pool and joined them.

"Glad to see you again Red! But, you can't swim in that!" Gowland said and clapped his hands together. Suddenly, her outfit changed into a simple two piece swimsuit. It was a pair of black shorts, with a black halter top that had a red bow at the neckline.

"Oh! Thank you Gowland!" Red said.

"It's no problem, now go on and play!" Gowland said, and she was immediately pulled away by the twins. Boris and Pierce were already in the water and the bloody twins jumped in, and Red carefully lowered herself into the water. She wasn't a strong swimmer at all and had to put in a lot of effort just to stay afloat. Neither Boris nor the Bloody twins noticed her struggling, for they were too busy bullying Pierce. She had managed to stay above the water for a little while, but eventually her legs gave out and she slipped under the water.

Her head went under the water and she flailed her arms wildly. She came up out of the water for a split second and gasped for breath. She went back under immediately and got a mouthful of water.

"Help!" She managed to call out before going back under. But they were all too caught up in their "game" to hear her. She continued to kick and struggle to stay above the surface. Right before she lost consciousness, she heard someone shout her name.

Red opened her eyes to see Boris, Pierce, Gowland, and the Bloody twins all staring down at her with worried expressions.

"Red, you're okay!" The twins exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

"I'm so sorry Red!" Boris said.

"You gave us quite a scare! I'm glad you're alright." Gowland said.

"We thought we lost you chu~!" Pierce said, near tears.

"I'm alright, I promise." Red said weakly.

"C'mon, let's get her to the first aid station." Gowland said. Boris lifted her off the ground and they all headed over to the first aid station.

Back at the tower, Alice had just returned from getting parts for Julius. When she arrived, the tower's inhabitants were in a state of hysteria.

"Where is she! ?" Gray shouted, running down the hallways, checking every room in the tower.

"I don't know! I thought you were watching her!" Nightmare cried, looking underneath every table, desk, and bed in the tower.

"Can't you two do anything? !" Julius shouted, who actually left his work to join in on the search.

"You lost Red? !" Alice yelled upon realizing the situation.

"I went to check on her awhile after you left, but she was gone!" Gray explained. Alice sighed. She couldn't believe it. She had only been gone an hour and they've already lost her!

"Have you checked any other territories?" Alice asked.

"Err, no." Gray answered. They had been so busy searching the tower, they hadn't even thought to search the other territories.

"Then what are you waiting for? Go!" Alice ordered. Gray immediately went to the Hatter mansion, Nightmare went to check Heart Castle, and Julius reluctantly went to search the Amusement park. Alice stayed behind at the tower, in case Red returned.

After they were sure Red was okay, Boris left to take Red back to the tower. The twins had gone back to the mansion, for they were supposed to be on guard duty anyway. It had gotten dark on the way and Red had of course lost sight of Boris. She was in the middle of the forest and it was pitch black.

"Boris!" She called out, only to be answered with silence. She couldn't believe she had managed to get herself lost in the forest… again. Red wanted to slap herself for being so stupid. She kept walking, calling out Boris's name every once in while, until she ran into a sign.

"Owww…" Red whined as she rubbed her head. She took a closer look and saw that the sign was in the shape of an arrow. In fact, there were a lot of arrows. Then it dawned on her. She was in the Joker's forest. Her blood ran cold and she wanted to cry in fear. Without a second thought, she bolted from the spot. But it was so dark she couldn't see where she was going and tripped over a root. She managed to hit her head on nearby rock when she fell and was knocked unconscious.

Alice got up from her seat as soon as she heard the door open. Julius, Gray, and Nightmare all entered the tower at once.

"She wasn't at Heart Castle." Nightmare said.

"And she wasn't at the Hatter mansion either." Gray said.

"She was at the Amusement Park, but I just missed her. Gowland said she was on her way back with Boris." Julius said.

"Then shouldn't she be here by now?" Alice asked. That's when the door burst open to reveal Boris, panting and looking frantic.

"What is it Boris? Where's Red?" Alice questioned.

"I lost her on the way here! I tried looking but I couldn't find her!" Boris explained hurriedly. Alice's face went pale and she looked like she was ready to faint. In a split second, all three men rushed out of the tower, leaving Alice and Boris behind.

"It'll be alright Alice. We'll find her. I promise."


	16. Chapter 15: Memories

Chapter 15: Memories

**T-T there's only a few chapters left. I was hoping to at least get twenty chapters, but I don't know if I'll be able to. Maybe I can get three more, but I might only be able to get two. (Plus an alternative ending) It saddens me how close it is to being over, but remember, there will be a sequel! **

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><p>White Joker was walking through the forest when he noticed something lying in a clearing. When he approached it, he noticed it was a little girl, but not just any little girl, it was Red. His eyes grew wide and he noticed a small amount of blood trailing down the side of her head. In a panic, he immediately picked up the girl and brought the two of them into the prison. Then he rushed her to her bedroom and laid her carefully onto the bed.<p>

"What the f*** is wrong now?" Black, who had seen him running, asked as he entered the room. It was then he noticed the unconscious girl lying in the bed.

"What the f*** did you do? ! I thought we agreed we were going to leave her alone!" He shouted, rushing over to the bed.

"I didn't do anything. I found her like this in the forest. She must've fallen and hit her head." White explained as he inspected her wound. It wasn't very bad, and it had already stopped bleeding.

"Just watch her for a second alright?" White said as he left the room. Black got closer and looked her over. 'She always was a bit of a klutz.' Black thought as he examined the large bruise on her head. He refused to admit it, but he was relieved to see her again. He had missed her greatly, and White knew it as well. Even if he was a bit cruel to her at times, it didn't mean anything. He never even hated her in the very beginning. He was annoyed by her at first, yes, but he never hated her. But now, he adored her. She was like a little sister. He could deny it all he wanted, but it was true.

Just then, White returned, carrying a first aid kit. After her injuries were taken care of, the two Jokers both sat on either side of the bed, neither one wanting to leave her.

"What are we supposed to do when she wakes up anyway? She's afraid of us, remember?" Black said. The two of them had discovered exactly what had caused Red to leave them not too long ago. They were a tad angry to say the least. White looked down at her with a pained expression.

"I think I know what we can do."

After the forest had been searched, and all the territories had been checked, Alice had come to a conclusion.

"Either Red returned to the Jokers, which is unlikely, or she was taken by force." Alice said. Nightmare began violently coughing up blood and Gray looked like he was about to go and slaughter the two Jokers right this minute. Julius was the only one that seemed calm about the situation.

"I think that I should go to the Jokers alone." Alice said.

"No Alice, it's too dangerous. Allow one of us to accompany you." Julius protested.

"I agree Alice. You know what the Jokers are capable of." Gray agreed. Nightmare didn't say anything, for he was still violently coughing up blood.

"I just think it's for the best. I'll be fine, alright?" Alice said. The three of them were about to argue, but seeing the look in her eyes shut them up.

Alice hurried to the circus as fast as she could. If the Jokers had kidnapped her like she thought, who knows what they've done to her. She didn't think she would be hurt, but locked in prison cell was a definite possibility. She wouldn't put it past them to lock her up to keep her from leaving them. When she arrived at the circus, she was surprised to see that White was nowhere to be found. Normally whenever she came here she found him almost immediately, well, he usually found her.

Finally, she was able to make it to the prison and noticed White and Black about to enter one of the rooms. She quickly approached them with a fierce look on her face.

"White! Black!" She called angrily. They turned around, White with a nervous look on his face and Black just looked at her with a bored expression.

"Oh, h-hello Alice." White said.

"Where is she?" Alice demanded.

"Well, about that-" White never finished his sentence, because the door opened once again, and out walked Red. The only thing that was wrong was the bandages on the side of her head, besides that, she seemed completely fine.

"Hi Alice!" She said. Alice stared in shock.

"R-Red? You're okay?" Alice asked.

"Um, Alice, we'd like to speak to you privately." White said.

"And Red, I thought I told you, you need to rest." Black said sternly. Red pouted slightly but quickly smiled again.

"Okay." She said, giving him a quick hug before returning to her room. Once she was gone, Alice turned to the Jokers.

"What did you do to her?" Alice asked angrily. White put his hands up defensively.

"We didn't do a thing. We found her in our forest unconscious. She must've fallen and hit her head. When she awoke, she couldn't seem to remember ever being afraid of us." White explained. He didn't seem to be lying, and Alice couldn't think of a reason why Red should return the tower with her now.

"Is she alright? Is that all she's forgotten?" Alice asked nervously.

"Yes, yes, she's fine. She remembers everything else, even the past few days. A few parts may be a bit blurry though." White explained.

"Well… then I guess everything's alright then isn't it?" Alice said.

"Yes, I guess so." White responded.

"I'll still be checking in frequently to make sure she's alright." Alice said.

"Feel free." White said with a smile.

"Then I guess I'll be going- Oh wait!" Alice said and pulled out a familiar stuffed cat. She wasn't quite sure why she had brought it, but she had a gut feeling that told her to take it with her.

"Remember to give this to her." Alice said, handing it to Black with a smug smile on her face. Black scowled but took it.

"Whatever." He said, turning away. And with that, Alice returned to the tower.

"You liar. You and I both know you took her memories." Black said.

"Of course, but she doesn't need to know that." White said with a grin.

Later, Red was asleep and White sat at the end of her bed. He wasn't proud of what he did, but it was necessary. If he hadn't, she would've run away the moment she woke up. He wasn't sure why he cared about the girl so much, or why it pained him when she left, but it did. From the moment she appeared in the prison that day, he couldn't help but adore her. Maybe it was because, like Alice, she was different from everyone else here. She may not have had a heart, but she had no clock either. She was oblivious to all the violence and bloodshed of this world. She was just pure innocence, much like Alice. Was this what made him, and all the other roleholders love her? White smiled and ruffled the girl's hair before gently kissing her forehead.

"Goodnight, my little Red."


	17. Author's Note

Sorry to disappoint, but this is not a new chapter. This is just an authors note. First off, I know I have not been very active lately and I apologize. Some of my stories, including this one, have not been updated in months. But they will. I promise. As for "Red" I have been contemplating something. I love this story very much, and I want to finish it very badly, but, it's been a year since I first published this, and I realize, I could do much better. So, I've been wondering, would you be okay with me redoing this? I want this story to be as good as possible, and I just want your opinions. Thank you for your patience.

~HallowBlue


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